Anita Rachman, Dessy Sagita, Ismira Lutfia & Ezra Sihite – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has asked the National Police chief to avoid any form of violence and physical contact in cases where they have to disband a crowd or protestors, presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said on Tuesday.
Julian said the demand had been made "a few days ago" when National Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo came to report on the incident in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara. Yudhoyono, he said, ordered Timur to work with local police to investigate the shooting.
At least two people were killed at the port in Sape on Christmas Eve after police fired live rounds into protesters who were occupying the ferry port as part of a protest against a local gold exploration involving Indonesian company Sumber Mineral Nusantara and an Australian firm.
Julian said the president had demanded a report and the police were conducting their own investigation into the event. "It is possible that there was an event, an action or an incident that was beyond normal or appropriate and that violent action could not have been prevented," Julian said.
He said that if there were any findings that law enforcement officers didn't follow standard operational procedures, they would be duly processed judicially.
Watchdog Indonesia Police Watch called on Timur on Tuesday to dismiss the heads of the Bima and West Nusa Tenggara police departments.
"The city police and the provincial police chiefs should be dismissed and face justice so as to prevent an escalation in protests and public anger," Indonesia Police Watch Presidium chairman Netta Satti Pane said in a statement. He said the police had lied to the public about the shootings when they said that their actions were in line with standard operational procedures.
Under the procedures, rubber bullets would have been used instead of live rounds, and police would have fired only as a last resort, after the use of tear gas, water cannons, shield and batons and blank bullets, he said.
The Bima Police, Netta said, had also erroneously sided with a mining company that had yet to obtain a permit from the Forestry Ministry as required by law. "Their action in backing the mining operation goes against Chapter 50 of the 1999 Law Number 41 on forests," Netta said.
Meanwhile, the Australian government expressed its concern over the fatal shootings in a protest against exploration activities of an Australian resources company on Sumbawa Island over the weekend.
"The Australian government is always concerned to see loss of life and injury," the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said. "We note that Indonesian authorities have ordered an investigation into the incident."
Australia's Arc Exploration and Sumber Mineral Nusantara were granted an exploration permit by officials to the outrage of locals, who claim they are concerned the mine's potential ecological damage and impact.
The Press Council on Tuesday said it was disturbed by the repeated screenings by television stations of videos showing police brutality in the Sape incident.
The 1999 press law and the journalistic code of ethics prohibit the broadcast of such scenes, council chairman Bagir Manan said. He said the council had no immediate plans to warn the private television stations that were involved.