President Orders Police Chief to Investigate Bima Incident

Jakarta - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has ordered National Police Chief Gen Timur Pradopo to investigate into last Saturday's clash between security officers and demonstrators at Sape ferry port in Bima district, West Nusa Tenggara. Presidential spokesman Julian Adrin Pasa said on Tuesday that the president has received a report from the National Police chief about the violence in Bima that, according to Human Rights Commission (Komnas Ham), claimed the lives of three civilians. "Therefore the president has ordered the Police chief to coordinate with Bima police to investigate into the case," Julian said. According to the presidential spokesman, the investigation was intended to find out if the bloody violence in Bima was provoked by certain party. "If it is true that last Saturday's clash was masterminded by a particular party, the provocateurs should be arrested and brought to the court," Julian said. The clash happened when security forces consisting of police and military personnel resorted to force to drive away thousands of local residents who had been occupying Sape port since December 19 in protest against PT SMN's presence in the region. The local community had for some time been demanding the revocation of a district administration permit for PT SMN to mine gold in the region but local authorities, including the disrict's legislative council, had continued to ignore their aspiration. Under a mining operation permit issued by Bima District Chief Ferry Zulkarnaen in 2010, PT SMN had been conducting mining operations on 24,980 hectares of land located in the sub-districts of Lambu, Sape and Langgudu.(*)