Palu, Central Sulawesi – Police in Central Sulawesi have vowed to investigate the officers involved in firing on rioters during Monday's attack on oil field facilities on Tiaka Island.
Comr. R. Bambang Surjadi, the provincial police's head of internal affairs, said on Wednesday that an independent team would be set up to look into whether the police's actions, which left two people dead and several injured, were warranted.
"We'll look at whether they breached protocol in firing into the crowd," he said. "If we find they abided by procedure, then there's nothing we can do in terms of punishing them. If, however, we find they breached procedure, then there will be sanctions handed down."
The attack on the oil field facilities in Tiaka, jointly operated by state-owned oil company Pertamina and Medco E&P Tomori, began on Saturday. A group of about 30 protesters arrived to demand that the operators make good on promises to improve the welfare of residents in Kolo Bawah village.
The protesters launched their assault from wooden boats, wielding Molotov cocktails and machetes. Riot police managed to restore order on Sunday, before more attacks on Monday.
Twenty-three people have been arrested and named suspects in the attack, while several are still being sought for stealing a firearm from a police officer. Two protesters were shot and killed, while six suffered gunshot wounds.
Human rights activists have demanded a thorough investigation into the police's response to the attack, which they decried as a brutal human rights violation.
Riza Damanik, secretary general of the Fisheries Justice Coalition (Kiara), urged the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to send a team to the area to investigate.
He blamed the violence on the failure of the oil operators to fulfill promises made to the villagers. Riza also accused the police of siding with the companies rather than the villagers, who he said were the aggrieved party in this case.
Marten, one of the protesters who was killed, was buried in his village on Wednesday. The funeral was attended by Anwar Hafid, the head of Morowali district, where Tiaka is located, and officials from Pertamina and Medco.
The body of the other protester killed in the clashes, Yurifin, was taken by his family for burial in Gorontalo province, on the northeastern tip of Sulawesi.
Police said they had transferred the 23 people arrested to the provincial police headquarters in Palu, the Central Sulawesi capital, in a bid to prevent further unrest.
Separately, a police source in Palu said the Morowali Police had ordered the evacuation of the families of around 40 officers, for fear of reprisals.
"They also withdrew some nonessential officers from Morowali in anticipation of a violent backlash," said the source, who declined to be identified. The police station whose jurisdiction includes Kolo Bawah village has been left empty, the source said.
Police have also evacuated all residents from Tiaka, most of whom are oil field workers and their families. Fears of more violence have been amplified by reports that the attackers who stole a police officer's handgun are still hiding out in the area.
Brig. Gen. Dewa Parsana, the Central Sulawesi Police chief, issued a plea on Wednesday for the fugitives to turn themselves in and return the stolen firearm, "to restore an atmosphere conducive to security."