Jakarta – Hundreds of women and children fled their homes when two officers from the police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) fired shots on Tuesday in Sukmajaya, Depok, in an attempt to drive residents away from a plot of land they are occupying.

The shots were fired only moments after the Brimob officers disseminated pamphlets that called on those occupying the land to leave within two weeks or face eviction by force.

The pamphlets claimed that state-run radio station RRI was the legitimate owner of the 65-hectare plot of land, which is reportedly being illegally occupied by around 400 families.

Jeremias, who witnessed the event, said that two officers fired shots when a group of residents posed questions to six officers who disseminated the pamphlets, regarding the intention of their visit to their village.

"We asked them politely but two of them fired at the ground to intimidate us. No one was hurt but their actions were really unnecessary," he said as quoted by tribunnews.com, adding that many women and children were frightened by the event.

Aside from delivering the flyers, the Brimob officers also put up a sign stating that the land was owned by RRI.

Jeremias, however, said that the residents inhabited the land legally and held certificates of ownership. "RRI has the right to use the land, but it does not have land ownership documents," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/11/brimob-officers-used-clear-illegal-occupants.html