Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Candra Malik – The House of Representatives said on Wednesday it would get to the bottom of a clash earlier this month between soldiers and farmers that has sparked allegations of rights abuses.

Tjahjo Kumolo, from House Commission I, which oversees security affairs, said legislators would go to the site of the April 16 clash in Kebumen, Central Java, and speak with the farmers, 14 of whom were wounded when soldiers opened fire with rubber bullets in the incident.

He said the decision to go there had been made following a House hearing on Tuesday night with Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro and several military top brass.

Col. Sumedy, the commander of the Kebumen Army base, testified that the farmers had attacked first, armed with knives and sharp implements. He said the soldiers had responded by firing warning shots, which the farmers ignored. However, Teguh Juwarno, a Commission I legislator, said that was no excuse for the military to use violence against the civilians.

"The military must remember that it's the people who buy the guns they use," he said. "Those guns should never be used against citizens. I'm not saying the farmers' attack was right, but it's puzzling that the military failed to detect the possibility of a clash. They should have anticipated it and taken measures to prevent it."

Another Commission I legislator, Sidharto Dhanusubroto, urged the government to relocate the live-fire training ground in Kebumen that is at the heart of the dispute between the farmers and the Army.

"It would be better if all of the military's training grounds were relocated to border areas, for instance," he said. "That way they won't disturb residents."

Human rights groups have accused the Army of excessive use of force in the incident, which they said was triggered primarily by a dispute over land used by the Army for training but claimed by the farmers as their own.

The second factor cited for the violence was the speculation that the Army was conspiring with investors to mine the land for iron. Police have named six farmers as suspects in the clash, but none of the soldiers has been charged.

Central Java Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Djihartono said the six would be charged with two counts of assault and destruction of property, which carry a maximum prison sentence of five-and-a-half years. Their dossier was on Wednesday submitted to prosecutors.

Djihartono said the Military Police were responsible for investigating the soldiers involved in the incident.

Lt. Col. Zaenal Muttaqien, a spokesman for the Diponegoro Military Command in Semarang, Central Java, which oversees operations in the province, said 22 soldiers had been questioned so far, but no indications had been found that any of them had violated protocol.