"The residents kept the road blocked since Friday morning. They urged the district government to issue KTP and KK to them as residents of Merangin district," local resident Ivan said.
Ivan said the district government plans to issue KTP and KK to them but till now, it has not materialized.
"Realizing that they have not received KTP and KK, they blocked the road. Hundreds of security officers were deployed at the scene. They blocked the road with wood, iron and stones," he said.
The road was re-opened on Friday afternoon when the Merangin district head, the district police chief and the district military commander arrived at the scene to urge the residents to maintain calm.
"We will find a way to resolve the residents concerns as do not have KTP based on the existing regulations," Merangin district head Al Harishe said.
He said the district government will accommodate the Sungai Tebal residents request for KTP and KK.
"We will register Sungai Tebal residents to see who are qualified to receive KTP and KK as Merangin residents," he said.
The non-native residents, who mostly hail from South Sulawesi province, said they are prepared to follow the procedure set by the district government. However, they threatened to block the road unless their request was fulfilled.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
