Protests color summit

Protests colored the closing day of the West Java Infrastructure Summit on Friday when about 500 people from Jatigede, Sumedang regency, staged a rally outside the venue at the Savoy Homann hotel in Bandung.

The protesters were objecting to the ongoing dam project in their area, claiming that they had been cheated in the land acquisition compensation payment.

West Java Governor Danny Setiawan has refused to hold talks with the residents, saying the issue had been settled last year. He also claimed the dam construction has received loans from China during President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's visit to the country last month.

"The dam project is under the authority of the government. The government has allocated a loan from China of about Rp 2.7 trillion (US$270 million) and we hope the project development will start next year," Leks Laksmana, the West Java governor's assistant for economic affairs, said. -- JP