"We are handling this case in a transparent and accountable way. The situation in Bima, meanwhile, is now conducive again," Saud Usman Nasution said.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The police have questioned 40 of their officers over the violence in last Saturday`s clash at the Sape ferry port in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, that left two people dead.
"The general supervision inspectorate, internal affairs and professional divisions of the National Police Headquarters have questioned 20 Mobile Brigade, 18 Sabhara riot police officers and two police field controllers," the head of the National Police`s public relations division Inspector General Saud Usman Nasution said here on Tuesday.
He said nine guns used by police in Saturday`s incident were confiscated and sent to the National Police `s forensic laboratory.
"We are handling this case in a transparent and accountable way. The situation in Bima, meanwhile, is now conducive again," he said.
Regarding the number of victims in the incident, he said, until now two people had been found dead, namely Arief Rachman aged 18 and Syaiful aged 17.
"If there are others, please give us the data. Two meanwhile are now being treated in hospital. Eight people were seriously wounded and are being treated in hospital and 30 others sustained light injuries and are being treated as outpatients," he said.
He said no bullets were found in the bodies of the two who died in the incident meaning they had been shot from close range.
He said the police had also confiscated ten machetes, four knives, one arrow, one molotov cocktail and two bottles of gasoline.
Police carried out a law enforcement action at 8am against demonstrators who had occupied a ferry bridge in Sape led by West Nusa Tenggara regional police chief and arrested provocateurs while those who held out were taken to the Bima resort police station.
People had set the Lambu police sector station and other government offices on fire. An inventory of the burned buildings was still being made.
The law enforcement action was taken because demonstrators from the Anti-Mining People`s Front had occupied and banned activities at the Sape ferry port since December 19.
The action was part of the Operation Candle 2011 and was also taken because the demonstrators had disrupted public order and the ferry port`s operations.
The demonstrators had demanded the revocation of the district head`s decision number 188 of 2010 that allowed PT Sumber Mineral Nusantara to conduct mineral explorations in the region.
They had also asked suspect AS who had been handed over to the prosecutor`s office to be released.
AS was suspected of having provoked the torching of the Lambu sub-district head`s residence on March 10, 2011.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
