Security forces disperse protesters in Bintan; 13 hurt
Security forces disperse protesters in Bintan; 13 hurt
SINGAPORE (Agencies): Thirteen people were wounded Sunday morning when Indonesian forces dispersed villagers camped outside resorts in the island of Bintan near Singapore to demand compensation for land they claim was practically robbed from them.
Separately, Singapore's Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, who visited Jakarta 10 days ago, urged the Indonesian government to protect foreign investors on the resort island of Bintan.
"I will leave it to the Indonesian authorities to handle this. They have to protect foreign investors," Goh said, quoted by the Sunday Times, as he returned from a six-day trip to India.
At about 5:30 a.m. local time, police and military forces moved in to disperse the demonstrators gathered at the back gate of the Bintan International Resort, Singapore government-linked conglomerate SembCorp Industries said in a statement.
Thirteen people were reportedly injured, four of them seriously, said SembCorp, which jointly developed the resort with Indonesian partners.
Those with serious injuries were evacuated to Tanjung Pinang, in the center of the island, by speedboat, the statement said.
An eyewitness who asked not to be named said he saw two men and one woman with gunshot wounds to the abdomen being carried onto a boat.
He also saw police round up 30 people, load them onto a truck and drive them to the resort's headquarters. Later, they were sent by ferry to Tanjung Pinang.
Another eyewitness who requested anonymity said that police rounded up six student activists who had taken part in the protests.
She said Indonesian forces first fired shots in the air, but then aimed at the students when they did not surrender. One student was shot in the leg, she said.
The villagers have been camping for over a week outside the resort area to demand compensation for land they claim they were forced to sell at low price in 1991 to make way for an industrial estate and beach resorts.
The villagers claim that developer PT Buana Mega Wisata paid them only about Rp 100 per square meter of land in the early 1990s (four dollar cents on the then prevailing rate), far below the market price of Rp 10,000.
On Saturday, Jakarta sent about 200 troops to Bintan to beef up its security presence there after the protesters canceled a trip to Jakarta to meet with President Abdurrahman Wahid.
The president had agreed to their demands for talks.
Goh said it now happened to a Singaporean investor. But the basic message must be the Indonesian government had to protect foreign investors.
"It is regrettable that force had to be used to disperse the demonstrators. This past week has been a harrowing time for all of us who have a stake in Bintan -- both the villagers as well as the investors," said Tay Siew Choon, managing director of SembCorp Industries.
"There are no winners in such a situation. In the end both the people of Bintan and investors like us lose out. If the confidence of international investors is shaken, jobs and businesses on Bintan will be affected," Tay added.
SembCorp said "the proper way to resolve this dispute is through legal and peaceful channels where fair restitution can be made to any valid grievances found."
Goh said he was "rather sad" at what was happening at the resort, especially since he traveled to Jakarta 10 days ago Indonesia to help Jakarta woo back foreign capital.