Kebumen, C Java (ANTARA News) - Police have yet to name any suspect in a clash between Army personnel and residents of Setrojenar village in Kebumben district, Central Java, on Saturday.

Right now police were interrogating a number of witnesses, chief of the Central Java provincial police Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang said here on Sunday.

He said seven people were earlier interrogated as witnesses and their number increased to eight now.

"It is likely any of the witnesses interrogated will be named suspect. But the investigation is still underway. Whether or not any of them will be named suspect depends on the result of the interrogation," he said.

Head of the Army`s Public Information Service Col. Dedy Agus Purwoko said on Sunday the clash followed the residents` refusal of the Army`s research and development unit`s plan to use the area as training ground. "We have given in by relocating the training area. But the residents continued to refuse the offer by holding a rally in front of the station."

He said the Army personnel had taken persuasive and procedural steps to prevent the residents from pushing their way into the Army`s research and development unit station. "But they ignored (the measures) and even kept ransacking the station."

Seeing that the mass turned uncontrollable and the Army personnel acted in self defense to protect the assets inside the station, he said.

He said all the injured had been hospitalized. "There are no fatalities. Most of them sustain bruise due to rubber bullets."(*)
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Editor: Ruslan Burhani
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