http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=23308
National Nine News – 23 novembre 2004
Indonesian
police shoot at demonstrators
17:44 AEDT Tue Nov 23 2004
Indonesian police have opened fire on demonstrators near the capital,
wounding seven people and raising fears about human and political rights just
weeks after the democratic election of new President Bambang Yudhoyono.
Officers fired shotguns at a group of about 2,000 residents who tried to
burn down a controversial new garbage plant on Monday at Bojong village, near
The plant had been guarded by about 10 local police and an equal number
of paramilitary officers of the Mobile Brigade, or Brimob, which has a notorious
human rights record.
But the police were overwhelmed by the demonstrators, who carried sticks
and rocks which they used to destroy buildings and smash vehicles, including a
police car.
The officers used tear gas before firing into the crowd and fleeing the
scene to await dozens of riot gear-equipped reinforcements.
Human rights activists said the shootings were reminiscent of brutal
police tactics during the dark days of the Suharto dictatorship, which ended
amid street riots in May 1998 after police opened fire on students demonstrating
outside
"Shooting by the police should really be a last resort," Ifdhal
Kasim, the executive director of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy,
said.
They also raised fresh questions over the hiring of police by private
companies to guard threatened facilities.
Australian gold miner Newcrest was using Brimob as a de facto security
force when an anti-mine demonstrator was shot dead last January in
National Police Chief Da'i Bachtiar flew to the scene after Bogor Police
chief Bambang Wasgito blamed Brimob, saying the shootings were unauthorised and
would be investigated.
"The Mobile Brigade officers fired their rifles. Their presence at
the plant had nothing to do with us," he told the Jakarta Post newspaper.
"The company hired them without coordinating with us."
General Da'i said 14 officers would be investigated.
"There must be an investigation of our own personnel," he said.
"Were conditions that bad to warrant such actions?"
©AAP
2004
http://www.tempointeractive.com/hg/nasional/2004/11/23/brk,20041123-02,uk.html
Tempo interactive – 23 novembre 2004
National
Police Open Fire on Five Bojong Residents
Tuesday, 23 November, 2004 | 22:25 WIB
TEMPO Interactive,
At least seven local residents were wounded—five of them had been fired upon
with rubber bullets--and several others were arrested by the police.
During the riot, the crowds burnt down five buildings, weighing units, security
posts and trash bins.
They also destroyed the management office, a tractor and ten cars, including two
police cars.
The management of the processing site, PT Wira Guna Sejahtera, has suffered
damage amounting to billions of Rupiah because of this incident.
At the time of this report, the police had secured the area.
At a press conference held in
Wasgito also promised to question eight members of Police Mobile Brigade who
were on guard at the location prior to the incident.
These police members are assumed to have stood guard at the area without the
knowledge of their superiors.
The incident started at 6am as Bojong, Ciuncal, Setusari, Mampir and Cikahuripan
villagers, who heard about the test run, started to cut down hundreds of trees
and walls along streets in Bojong village.
At around 10 am, the crowds tried to rush the gate of the waste site.
At least 20 policemen assigned to guard TPST Bojong tried to prevent the
villagers from entering by using tear gas.
Hundreds of people kept trying to rush the gate and threw Molotov bombs,
starting fires in many places.
As the police were pushed back, they began shooting and several people were
wounded.
At 1.20 pm, police officers from Bogor Police arrived at the location as a back
up and searched residents allegedly involved in the incident.
The police arrested 14 people, including Ipang, a youth figure who has been
active in rejecting the opening of the TPST.
Several residents, accompanied by non-governmental organization (NGO) activists,
came to National Police headquarters (HQ) in
http://perth.indymedia.org/?action=newswire&parentview=7044
Perth Indymedia, le 24
novembre 2004
Seven
shot at protest against new dump
by anonymous
2004-11-24 12:33 PM +0800
A protest over a waste treatment plant turned violent on Monday as police
opened fire on residents of Bojong village in Klapanunggal district,
Police fired live rounds into the crowd after protesters allegedly
attempted to set the plant on fire. Reinforcement officers arrived at about 3
p.m. and arrested 33 residents for provoking the violence.
Officers continued to pour into the area late on Monday to search for additional
suspects.
Four Bojong residents, accompanied by non-governmental organization activists,
met with National Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Suyitno Landung late on
Monday to protest the police's actions.
"My husband was arrested while he was sitting on the porch with me. He is
innocent," said Ini, whose husband Ta'ing was in police custody as of
Monday night.
She said armed officers burst into her house and the homes of her neighbors
searching for suspects. "They broke down the doors and kicked holes in them."
Rachland Nashidik of the Indonesian Human Rights Watch demanded that the
officers be pulled out of Bojong.
Haris Azhar from the Commission on Missing Persons and Victims of Violence said
the police were searching homes in the area without warrants.
Both activists characterized the police's actions as a gross violation of
residents' rights.
"The police should have calmed the situation, but apparently they are
biased in the matter," Harris said.
The clash began when about 2,000 residents were protesting against a planned
trial of the Bojong waste treatment plant. The protest turned ugly when
residents allegedly attempted to burn down the plant.
"We demand that the plant be closed immediately because it can make us sick.
It would be better to build a red-light district here than to flood us with
garbage," said one resident, Mi'ah, 48, who has been protesting against the
plant since last year.
Ten Bogor Police officers and 10 members of the police's elite Mobile Brigade
were guarding the plant and its employees at the time of the protest. They used
tear gas and opened fire when the protesters attempted to attack the plant.
The officers and plant staff were eventually forced to flee through the rear of
the plant.
Bogor Police chief Sr. Comr. Bambang Wasgito said the shootings did not follow
procedure and that he would form a special team to investigate the incident.
"The Mobile Brigade officers fired their rifles. Their presence at the
plant had nothing to do with us. The company hired them without coordinating
with us," he said.
Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso said the protesters should be punished for vandalizing
the waste treatment facility, which when operational is expected to absorb
one-third of the 6,000 tons of garbage the capital produces each day.
http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=04/11/26/8418912
Indonesians
Protesting Waste Dump Attempt to Burn Plant Down
posted by
on Friday November 26 2004 @ 05:20PM PST
Six
policemen deny involvement in Bojong violence
Theresia
Sufa and Damar Harsanto, The
Six
low-ranked police officers have denied involvement in Monday's violent protest
by locals opposing the presence of Bojong waste treatment facility in
Klapanunggal,
The
officers -- Second Insp. Parlaungan Simatupang and Second Brig. Ahmad Walyuhri
of Cileungsi Police, and Second Brig. Asep Saepul, Second Brig. Agus Gunawan,
Second Brig. Sutopo and Second Brig. Roh Mustapa Dewa Samudra of Bogor Police
riot squad -- presented their statements to a police ethics committee hearing on
Friday.
However,
the committee has yet to interrogate middle- and high-ranked officers, including
Bogor Police chief Sr. Comr. Bambang Wasgito and Bojong Police chief Adj. Sr.
Comr. Muhammad Taufik, even though National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar had
promised that the police would summon Bambang for questioning.
The six
officers denied that they had been involved in beating and kicking protesters
although television footage and newspaper reports showed the opposite.
"If
we appeared to grab the protesters' hair, beat or kick them, it was because they
attempted to flee the scene when we tried to arrest them," one of the
officers said in the hearing, presided over by Adj. Sr. Comr. Rastra Gunawan.
Dozens of
uniformed policemen and policewomen also attended the hearing to show support
for their colleagues.
Another
officer admitted that they had to use violence in self-defense against
protesters, who they claimed had carried machetes and other sharp weapons.
"Despite
their denials, we consider that the video footage and news reports of the
incident are sufficient to bring those officers to this examination, referring
to Article 4 (a) of Government Regulation No. 2/2003 on disciplinary regulations
for Indonesian Police," Rastra said.
This
article stipulates that police officers are obliged to give their utmost to
protect, secure and serve the public.
If it is
proven that the officers violated discipline, they could face a maximum sentence
of 21 days in police custody, and discharge from the force.
The
incident started when thousands of villagers, supported by several
non-governmental organizations, staged a rally on Monday to protest the planned
trial of a waste treatment facility by operator PT Wira Guna Sejahtera.
The rally
turned violent after police officers guarding the plant clashed with protesters
who had vandalized the office and cars at the plant and allegedly attempted to
burn down the plant.
Legislators
have questioned the deployment of the Police Mobile Brigade to secure the plant.
Meanwhile,
the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) have called on Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso to
apologize to the locals over the bloody incident, claiming that his
administration should also bear responsibility.
"The
trial of the Bojong plant was done because the
He added
the plant must be closed down since it violates
Tigor
referred to a letter issued by former state minister of the environment Nabiel
Makarim on Dec. 4, 2003, which requested the
Earlier
on Thursday, the House of Representatives asked State Minister of the
Environment Rachmat Witoelar to intervene in the case on the basis of the
alleged violation.
Police
arrest a resident during a demonstration at Bojong village in
Links:
Indonesian
police chief orders inquiry after 5 shot in protest
Source:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20041127.A02&irec=4
http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20050302141242310
Wednesday, March 02 2005 @ 02:12 PM PST
Contributed by: Anonymous
Views: 43
A
17
Jailed Over Dump Dispute Riot
March 2, 2005 20:8:0
LaksamanaNet
A
In three separate sessions, Cibinong District Court on Wednesday (2/3/05)
gave the residents of Bojong village sentences ranging from 3 months and 15 days
to 8 months.
The 17 were among about 2,000 people who had protested at the Bojong
waste processing plant in November, claiming the facility would cause health
problems and damage the environment.
The protest turned violent when some of the locals attempted to set fire
to the plant, while others used to sticks and rocks to smash buildings and
vehicles. The 20 police guards hired by the plant’s operator were greatly
outnumbered and responded with tear gas before opening fire with live ammunition
into the crowd. At least five people were shot and wounded, while 37 were beaten
and detained. A police inquiry ruled that officers had not used excessive force
to crush the protest.
In the first session, six of the villagers – Galuh bin Rasimin, Mirga
bin Umin, Ata bin Naping, Ace bin Soma, Anan bin Aja and Dayat Supriyadi bin
Naing – each received sentences of five months in jail. They will be free
within two months as they have already been incarcerated for three months prior
to sentencing.
Another villager, Rohim bin Suminta, received a four month probationary
sentence as he is still a school student. He will automatically be jailed if he
commits any criminal offenses over the next eight months.
Lawyers representing the seven villagers said they will appeal because
“the judges failed to take into account witness testimonies that alleviated
the charges against the defendants”.
In the second session, eight defendants - Nenin bin Onan, Nazaruddin bin
Kustiwan, Edi bin Ejan, Dede Suparman, Akbar bin Yanto, Ejan bin Nasa, Adang
Hermawan bin Anan and Edi Iskandar – each received sentences of 3 months and
15 days and will therefore be released by Sunday or Monday.
Lawyers for the eight said they were yet to decide whether to appeal,
although they claimed the men had not been at the location of the riot.
In the third session, the remaining two defendants - Paing bin Isan and
Aming Gunawan bin Emi – received 8 month sentences.
Prosecutors had recommended the two be sentenced to 10 months in jail for
causing losses to the state and making conflicting statements in court.
Presiding judge Mulyadi said they were spared the heavier sentence because they
had behaved politely, had families to look after, and were poorly educated so
they had been easily provoked.
After the shootings at the dump, local legislators recommended the
temporary closure of the plant, but Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso vowed to press
ahead with the project.
The plant was supposed to package all waste into compressed bales, but
its machinery can only process non-organic waste, so the operator has reportedly
decided to convert the facility into an incinerator.
Sutiyoso responded angrily to recommendations the site be closed, warning
that foreign investors would flee
He claimed the anarchic action has already prompted private investors
from
The governor is accustomed to using brutality to push through unpopular
projects. According to the Urban Poor Consortium, about 50,000 people have been
evicted from their homes in
About 143 villagers in
http://www.laksamana.net/vnews.cfm?ncat=45&news_id=7960
17
Jailed Over Dump Dispute Riot
March 10, 2005 21:42:0
Originally posted: March 2, 2005 08:08 PM
A
In three separate sessions, Cibinong District Court on Wednesday (2/3/05)
gave the residents of Bojong village sentences ranging from 3 months and 15 days
to 8 months.
The 17 were among about 2,000 people who had protested at the Bojong
waste processing plant in November, claiming the facility would cause health
problems and damage the environment.
The protest turned violent when some of the locals attempted to set fire
to the plant, while others used to sticks and rocks to smash buildings and
vehicles. The 20 police guards hired by the plant’s operator were greatly
outnumbered and responded with tear gas before opening fire with live ammunition
into the crowd. At least five people were shot and wounded, while 37 were beaten
and detained. A police inquiry ruled that officers had not used excessive force
to crush the protest.
In the first session, six of the villagers – Galuh bin Rasimin, Mirga
bin Umin, Ata bin Naping, Ace bin Soma, Anan bin Aja and Dayat Supriyadi bin
Naing – each received sentences of five months in jail. They will be free
within two months as they have already been incarcerated for three months prior
to sentencing.
Another villager, Rohim bin Suminta, received a four month probationary
sentence as he is still a school student. He will automatically be jailed if he
commits any criminal offenses over the next eight months.
Lawyers representing the seven villagers said they will appeal because
“the judges failed to take into account witness testimonies that alleviated
the charges against the defendants”.
In the second session, eight defendants - Nenin bin Onan, Nazaruddin bin
Kustiwan, Edi bin Ejan, Dede Suparman, Akbar bin Yanto, Ejan bin Nasa, Adang
Hermawan bin Anan and Edi Iskandar – each received sentences of 3 months
and 15 days and will therefore be released by Sunday or Monday.
Lawyers for the eight said they were yet to decide whether to appeal,
although they claimed the men had not been at the location of the riot.
In the third session, the remaining two defendants - Paing bin Isan and
Aming Gunawan bin Emi – received 8 month sentences.
Prosecutors had recommended the two be sentenced to 10 months in jail for
causing losses to the state and making conflicting statements in court.
Presiding judge Mulyadi said they were spared the heavier sentence because they
had behaved politely, had families to look after, and were poorly educated so
they had been easily provoked.
After the shootings at the dump, local legislators recommended the
temporary closure of the plant, but Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso vowed to press
ahead with the project.
The plant was supposed to package all waste into compressed bales, but
its machinery can only process non-organic waste, so the operator has reportedly
decided to convert the facility into an incinerator.
Sutiyoso responded angrily to recommendations the site be closed, warning
that foreign investors would flee
He claimed the anarchic action has already prompted private investors
from
The governor is accustomed to using brutality to push through unpopular
projects. According to the Urban Poor Consortium, about 50,000 people have been
evicted from their homes in
About 143 villagers in
This
article from LaksamanaNet. Please visit http://www.laksamana.net for more
details.