During the clashes, two people were killed by police fire but harsh sanctions had been imposed on the officers who had opened fire in violation of standing procedures, police said.
Bandarlampung, Lampung (ANTARA News) - Police said two clashes happened between local residents and police in Mesuji district, Lampung province, during 2011.

Lampung regional police command spokesperson Adjunct Senior Commissioner Sulistyaningsih said here on Thursday, during the clashes, two people were killed by police fire but harsh sanctions had been imposed on the officers who had opened fire in violation of standing procedures.

She made the statement following Mesuji villagers` report to the House Commission III on Wednesday.

She said the first incident occurred early in 2011 when a joint team was conducting a law enforcement operation on land belonging to PT Sylva Inhutani leaving one villager, identified as Made Aste, dead.

The operation led to a clash between police personnel and hundreds of villagers.

Following the incident the operation was stopped and suspended for six months.

When the six-month period expired in September 2011, hundreds of police personnel assisted by security guards drove away villagers and destroyed their houses at Register 45, Mesuji.

The operation to evict the people at the registered forest controlled by PT Sylva Inhutani Lampug involving 1,000 personnel went smoothly.

Tulangbawang resort police chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Soebarman himself led the execution.

The joint team consisted of forces from the police Mobile Brigade from the Lampung police command, forest rangers and local administration police members.

Sulistyaningsih said another clash occurred but this happened at PT Barat Selatan Makmur Investindo (BSMI) concession area also in Mesuji district on November 10, 2011.

One person was killed after being hit by a bullet when hundreds of villagers tried to enter the Division II Mess area of PT BSMI.

Six other people were wounded by rubber bullets and three others by live bullets.

The clash between villagers of Sri Tanjung, Keagungan Dalam, and Nipah Kuning in the sub-district of Tanjung Raya, Mesuji, and security personnel that had led to the burning of the Mess occurred after several villagers were seen taking oil palm fruits by PT BSMI security personnel.

Security forces from the Mobile Brigade and the marines drove away the villagers.

The villagers fought the granting of a land use right to PT BSMI because they had not received compensations for giving up the land concerned.

Sulistyaningsih appealed to the mass media not to continue reporting the incidents incorrectly. She said the violence recorded in the video shown so far namely a beheading did not occur in Lampung but in Mesuji in Ogan Komering Ilir, South Sumatra.

She said there was no need for the regional police command to station forces in Mesuji that borders Ogan Komering Ilir.

"Until now we have seen no need of sending forces there because the situation there is conducive and security is put under the Tulangbawang police," she said.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011