Rights Body Urged to Probe Violence Against Workers

Jakarta (Antara) - The Confederation of Indonesian Workers Union (KSPI) has urged the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to investigate the violence committed against striking workers in West Java's Bekasi and Karawang districts last October. "We request the Komnas HAM to investigate the act of violence," KSPI Chairman Said Iqbal stated at a rally outside the Komnas HAM building here on Tuesday. At least 28 workers were injured in the clash between suspected thugs and workers during the strike. It seemed that the security personnel allowed the suspected thugs to commit violence against the workers, he remarked. "We will bring this case up during the ILO session and in the UN Human Rights court," he claimed. Earlier, Coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) Haris Azhar demanded that the Komnas HAM must issue a written statement on gross human rights violation in the case. The rights body should also prove the alleged killing of a worker during the strike. The workers also staged a rally outside the Attorney General's Office in South Jakarta, urging it to seriously handle the case of violence. Last October, workers in many parts of the country went on a few days strike demanding a salary hike. (*)