Indonesia: 17 Jailed Over Dump Dispute Riot

A West Java court has sentenced 17 villagers to jail for involvement in a riot at a proposed waste processing plant in their community. 17 Jailed Over Dump Dispute Riot
March 2, 2005 20:8:0
LaksamanaNet

A West Java court has sentenced 17 villagers to jail for involvement in a riot at a proposed waste processing plant in their community.

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 Indonesia if authorities in Jakarta give in to the actions of “anarchists”.

He claimed the anarchic action has already prompted private investors from Canada and South Korea to think twice about committing to waste processing projects in the capital.

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 Jakarta over the past four years as part of Sutiyoso’s development strategies. Many of the evictions resulted in bloodshed when security authorities attacked impoverished locals who refused to leave their simple homes.

About 143 villagers in West Java were killed last month when a landslide at a rubbish dump buried their houses in dark mud and toxic waste.