Two dead as police fire into protesters in Indonesia’s Bima

Two people were killed as local residents and police officers clashed in Bima regency, West Nusa Tenggara, on Saturday

The Jakarta Post | 12/26/2011

Arif Rachman and Syaiful, both students, reportedly died when the police fired into the crowd of protesters, who were demanding the revocation of PT Sumber Mineral Nusantara’s (SMN) mining permit, citing environmental concerns.

The mayhem began when hundreds of people from the People’s Front Against Mining (FRAT) confronted authorities on Saturday at 7 a.m. local time (6 a.m. Jakarta time), blocking the road to the nearby port.

The demonstrators had been rallying since Dec. 19, demanding that Bima Regent Ferry Zulkarnaen revoke the company’s mining permit.
The road closure disrupted shipping between Bima and Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. Buses and trucks reportedly had to wait in a line that stretched up to 3 kilometers.

Protesters also occupied Sape Seaport, the only seaport connecting West Nusa Tenggara with East Nusa Tenggara.

Local police and officers from the West Nusa Tenggara Police Mobile Brigade special operations unit clashed with the protesters after several failed attempts to disperse them.

BOX: Govt’s 'partisanship to businessmen' lead to police-local clashes Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 12/25/2011 Confrontations between locals and police officers, as in the recent clash in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, that left two people dead, are attributable to police malpractice, Indonesia Police Watch (IPW) says. “The trigger of [a clash] could be because the central government and regional administrations take the side of businessmen,” Neta S. Pane of the IPW said on Sunday in a press statement. He said partisanship by the central government and regional administrations could lead them to using the police as a tool against the people on behalf of foreign businesses. “Money has turned [government officials] into agents [working for foreign companies] in their own country,” Neta said. “This is what alienates people from their own homeland.” In a case where a company caused environmental damage, the police should go after the businessman and government officials who abetted the crime by giving the businessman a permit to operate, he said. “But what happens is actually the other way around, people are shot when they try to fight for their rights,” Neta said. Hundreds of people from the People's Front Against Mining (FRAT) clashed with authorities on Saturday at 7 a.m. local time (6 a.m. Jakarta time), blocking the road to the port. They had been demanding that Bima Regent Ferry Zulkarnaen revoke PT Sumber Mineral Nasional’s (SMN) mining permit since Monday. The road closure caused disruption to the port’s traffic between Bima and Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. Buses and trucks had to wait in a line that stretched up to 3 kilometers. Local police and West Nusa Tenggara Police Mobile Brigade personnel clashed with the protesters after several failed attempts to disperse them. Two people, Arif Rachman and Syaiful, died in the clash, and dozens of others were injured, while several others were in police custody for questioning. West Nusa Tenggara Governor M. Zainul Majdi has asked the regent to review a mining permit issued for SMN in the districts of Lambu and Sape.

The protesters reportedly destroyed the Lambu police station and set fire to the precinct commander’s home, four units in a police housing complex and a bank, among other buildings.

In the wake of the violence, West Nusa Tenggara Governor M. Zainul Majdi asked Ferry to review the mining permit issued to SMN for Lambu and Sape districts.

Local residents have voiced concerns that the company’s mining concession, which covered 24,980 hectares, would drain water used for irrigation. SMN might also drive away traditional miners, they claimed.

Police arrested 47 suspects following the incident.

The clash took place less than two weeks after residents of Mesuji, Lampung, told the House of Representatives about allegedly police-connected mass killings in the region that resulted from a dispute about the expansion of an oil palm plantation. The residents’ lawyers claimed that 13 people were killed in the conflict.

Separately, the Indonesian Police Watch (IPW) condemned the shooting of civilians in the Bima riot.

Neta S. Pane of IPW said that the Bima clash confirmed widely-held assumptions that local governments and the police were acting to support business interests.

“The governments uses the police as a tool to deal with the people, sometimes on behalf of foreign businesses– and this has alienated local people,” he said.

The Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi) said in a statement that the Australian mining company Arc Exploration Ltd. was a majority shareholder of SMN.

In its statement, Walhi also called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to revoke SMN’s permit and re-evaluate the use of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police in areas with conflicts over natural resources.

“[Yudhoyono] must stop all activities of companies that are currently in conflict or are potentially in conflict with locals until there’s a structural solution to the problem,” Walhi said.

The group also called for the formation of a national committee to resolve agrarian and natural resources conflicts.

The Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam) said that the police acted unprofessionally in dealing with the crowd.

“The incident reflects police arrogance [and] inhumane and degrading treatment,” Elsam executive director Indriaswati Dyah Saptaningrum said on Sunday.

Yudhoyono told Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto and National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo investigate the incident.

“We shall wait for the latest information from the police,” presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said as quoted by tempo.co on Sunday.

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