Rizal Harahap, Pekanbaru – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas Ham) has concluded Riau Police officers committed rights abuses in their clash with residents of Seluk Bongkal hamlet, Pinggir district, Bengkalis regency, on Dec. 18.

Komnas HAM Deputy Chairman Muhammad Ridha Saleh announced the finding during the conclusion of a two-day investigation into the conflict.

Ridha said police officers had destroyed residences and evicted people from their homes. According to Komnas HAM, 500 homes were destroyed by the police in the incident.

"The police has no authority to destroy people's homes. The destruction is a rights violation because everybody has the right to residence.

"The action was carried out without any coordination with the village head, despite the hamlet falling under the jurisdiction of the village administration," he told the press in Pekanbaru on Saturday. He refused to comment on an allegation some of the houses had been set on fire by Molotov cocktails thrown from police helicopters.

"Residents claimed that immediately after a helicopter had flown overhead, fire broke out on roofs. But such reports have not been verified," he said.

According to Komnas HAM, the authorities were not in their rights to deploy heavily-armed Mobile Brigade troopers to force people to vacate a concession area belonging to PT Arara Abadi that was the focus of the dispute.

Ridha said the Mobile Brigade could only be dispatched to situations too severe for the police to handle.

"Seluk Bongkal is not a smoldering zone and so far it's been peaceful with no acts of anarchy committed by locals against the company.

"Moreover, no law authorizes the police to evict people by force. It was an infringement for the brigade to mistreat residents, though not a serious one," he added.

As an example, Ridha cited the death of a two-and-a-half-year-old boy who died after falling into a well during the violence.

"The child did not die directly because of the conflict but that can not be separated from the incident because the death resulted from his parents' panicked reaction to hearing the burning and gunshots," he said.

Ridha said the Riau Police must withdraw all of its personnel from the area. He also called on the police to release all Seluk Bongkal residents arrested in the incident.

Following the clash, the police detained 79 people as suspects for illegally claiming land, which carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence under the 1999 Forestry Law. "Today, the police released five people, but we demand that they all be released," Ridha said.

Last Friday, Riau Police chief Brig. Gen. Hadiatmoko denied the human rights violation accusation, saying the operation had been carried out in response to the illegal occupation of land owned by PT Arara Abadi's, as had been reported by the firm.

"All repressive measures taken were in accordance with procedures. We only arrested those who fought against our officers and provoked the crowd" he said. "We also provided buses to relocate residents but they refused."