Indah Setiawati and Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – The national rights body is demanding the government review the function of the Jakarta Public Order Agency following allegations of misconduct in Wednesday's fatal clash.

"The function of public order officers is to guard government offices, but they have become enforcers of bylaws," Nur Kholis, the deputy head of the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM), said Thursday.

He said it was not appropriate to deploy public order officers to the front line of law enforcement, a role that should be restricted to police.

Data from the city administration showed that as of Thursday, the Koja uprising in North Jakarta claimed the lives of three public order officers and injured 128 people.

The clash was triggered by a land dispute between state-owned port operator PT Pelindo II and the self-proclaimed heirs of revered Muslim figure, Arif Billah Hasan bin Muhammad Al Haddad, known as Mbah Priok, whose grave used to be at the memorial complex.

The disputed 5.4-hectare area consists of a 20-square-meter memorial complex and a 300-square-meter area with illegally set up buildings and is located on a 145-hectare plot in Koja, which Pelindo says it owns.

The city previously stated that they would not dismantle the memorial but only take down the illegal buildings that serve as shrines. Residents reacted angrily to the decision because they considered the move an insult to Islam.

Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi said Thursday that the government would evaluate the public order agency regulation. "The evaluation is aimed at identifying flaws," he told Antara news agency.

During a visit to the memorial site Thursday, Governor Fauzi Bowo attempted to quell the anger of Koja residents by promising he would not remove the memorial complex.

"Instead, this place will be declared a city heritage protected by a gubernatorial decree I will issue later," Fauzi told area resident representatives.

At City Hall, Deputy Governor Prijanto said the city had not decided on whether to dismiss Harianto Badjoeri, the head of the public order agency, as the city would wait on the result of the planned investigation.

On Thursday, Prijanto mediated at a meeting between Pelindo and area residents. Pelindo president director R.J. Lino said the company agreed to build an access road on Jl. Ciampea in Koja to serve as the entrance to the memorial complex so that traffic heading to Koja Container Terminal would not be disrupted by visitors to the memorial.

He also agreed to a discussion on Friday with residents and mediated by Komnas HAM over the land dispute.

Hanafi Rustandi, president of the Indonesian Sailors Union (KPI) and chairman of the Asia-Pacific branch of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) said traffic heading to the memorial was a stumbling block to Koja Container Terminal's attempts to fulfill the ISPS Code, a set of rules guaranteeing International ships' safety and access to terminal facilities, issued by the International Maritime Organization.

He said Pelindo was pressured by investors to request the city remove the memorial.