Yuliasri Perdani, Jakarta – The Indonesian Air Force (TNI- AU) said that their officers were not responsible for the shooting and injuring of five civilians in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Wednesday.
It is alleged that officers and around 20 locals were involved in an altercation that led to the shooting. The Air Force claims a unit of its Special Forces (Paskhas) was in the area for presidential election security training at the Palembang Air Force Base, which is next to a residential area.
Air Force spokesperson First Marshall Hadi Tjahjanto said on Thursday that prior to the training exercise, Paskhas had deployed two officers in plain clothes to inform locals of the security drill.
"We conducted the training within our territory, but we felt that we needed to inform the neighborhood. However, just as we were about to begin the exercise, 20 people wielding machetes attacked Paskhas officers," Hadi said in a telephone interview.
According to Hadi, Paskhas officers dispersed the crowd in peaceful manner and did not fire shots. "The officers were only equipped with empty guns," he said. Hadi's statements run contrary to some local residents' claims.
The residents, as reported by several news outlets, claimed that the officers had damaged their farm before assaulting and shooting at them.
Five residents allege they sustained bullet-related injuries, four of them – identified as Mukayah, Nurhamid, Narto and Mustakim – were rushed to Moehamad Husin Hospital in Palembang – The fifth victim, Sumanto was admitted to Bhayangkara Police Hospital in Palembang.
According to the victims, the officers intended to take their farm and homes by force. Hadi confirmed that the neighborhood was located on land belonging to the government.
"The government has authorized the Palembang Air Force Base to use 200 hectare [ha] of land in that area. So far, 140 ha has been reclaimed, while the remainder is still illegally controlled by locals. This neighborhood is among of them," he said.
Hadi, however, declined that the Air Force had attempted to take the land by force. "We have tried to settle this matter through dialogue with the locals," he said.
Separately, National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) commissioner Siti Nurlaila said that the commission would look into the case. "We first need to gather information and testimony from the related parties to analyze whether there was a human rights violation in the case," she said on Thursday.
Hadi pledged the Air Force's full cooperation if Komnas HAM investigated the incident. "I believe that Komnas HAM will be objective," he said.
According to Hadi, Palembang Air Force base commander Lt. Col. Sapuan had visited the victims to gather information on the accident. "He is studying the medical examination to find out if the injuries were due to sharp weapons or bullets," he added.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/13/air-force-denies-shooting-locals.html