Agus Maryono, Kebumen – Eight months after the first conflicts flared up, conflicts between farmers in a number of villages in Urut Sewu, Bulus Pesantren district, Kebumen regency, Central Java, farmers and the Indonesian Military (TNI) have reportedly reached a deadlock over land dispute issues.

"No agreement has yet been reached. The locations and boundaries demanded by the farmers and TNI still differ from each other, including our data at our village," the Brencong village chief Suradi told the media on Monday.

He said the meeting between the farmers and TNI was held on Dec. 24, after the bloody clash between both parties several months ago.

As reported earlier, hundreds of villagers in Urut Sewu were involved in a clash with TNI personnel in April, leaving four villagers with gun shot wounds inflicted by rubber bullets. Six others suffered wounds from blunt objects.

The farmers claimed they owned land ownership certificates while the TNI also insisted they had legal claims on the land. The TNI Army has been using the land as a training ground and a site for heavy arms tests.

The farmers have complained that their crops are often damaged by military exercises. Even a number of local figures have said a number of residents have been victimized by military exercises on disputed land.

A number of farmers have been imprisoned by the Central Java High Court in Semarang over the conflict. Although they were only sentenced to five months, they, though the punishment was unreasonable, claiming that they were victims of abuse by military personnel.

Suradi said residents were not in agreement with the land measurements conducted by the National Land Agency (BPN) on disputed land. He added the locations set by the BPN were not in accordance with the measurements carried out by the village administrative office.

According to Suradi, the village administration had set the boundary between village land and state property by building an entrance at the beach resort.

"However, as was expected, the negotiation process was tough, despite the presence of officers from the Kebumen BPN, as both parties had failed to reach an agreement," said Suradi. He added during the meeting between the farmers and the TNI that a land measurement assessment was conducted at the Brecong Beach area.

"Had there been an agreement, we would have arranged for land ownership titles – but it turned out that the negotiations fell through; so we still have to wait," said BPN official Setyo Wibowo, who also attended the meeting.