Police open fire as protesters refuse to leave Tuban oil field

At least 22 people suffered shot injuries when the police tried to disperse protesters inside an oil field owned by Devon near the Rahayu Dasim village in Suko district, Tuban on Wednesday evening. No deaths were reported during the incident.

Kompas reported on Friday that the police fired the protesters with rubber bullets when they refused to leave the oil field. A number of other residents who blocked the road leading to the oil field also suffered light injuries when the police tried to disperse them.

According to the secretary of the Rahayu Dasim village, the police started to open fire when representatives of the protesters, some of them have put up tents in the concession area, were negotiating with other members of the police outside the oil complex.

Hundreds of villagers blocked a leading road to the oil complex of Devon in the area after the company refused to meet their compensation demand. Some of the villagers had put up tents inside the oil complex and refused to leave the area until the company gave them the compensation payment.

According to Kompas, the villagers demanded Devon, which has operated the oil field since 1997, to pay a compensation payment of Rp 20,000 per person for the air pollution caused by the company?s operation. The villagers also demanded the company to pay Rp 100 million per month for the village development, and provide more jobs for local workers. (*)