One hundred policemen brush off protesting villagers from KEM road

The Kelian villagers in the West Kutai regency in East Kalimantan engaged in a physical clash with some 100 policemen on Friday as the security officers tried to brush off the tents of the villagers who had been blockading the only road to gold mining site of PT Kelian Equatorial Mining (KEM).

"Four villagers were forcedly taken by the police," coordinator of the mining advocacy network Chalid Muhammad was quoted as saying by the Republika daily.

Chalid said that the four were taken to the local police office, but one, identified as Bilat, until was still missing.

Chalid also said that the villagers found 11 empty bullets in the location of the clash.

He lambasted the strong action taken by the policemen particularly the used of ammunition.

"They were just trying to convey their aspiration," he said.

Villagers had been blockading the only road to the KEM mining site since last month to demand a fair compensation for their land acquired by the company.

KEM is 90 percent owned by the Rio Tinto mining giant group.

Separately, external relations officer of the Rio Tinto Indonesian office Anang Rizkani Noor acknowledged that four villagers had been detained by the police.

Anang, however, regretted the police action, pointing out that it might do harm to the progress in negotiation between the protesting villagers and KEM.

He said that the negotiation was progressing well as the two sides nearly reached an acceptable price level for the land compensation.

Anang added that KEM had never asked the police to take such a strong action against the villagers. (*)