T

he security situation in Musi Rawas, South Sumatera, had returned to normal on Wednesday after a deadly clash between police and protesters claimed four lives.

National Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Agus Rianto said protesters had ended their 30-hour blockade of the Trans-Sumatra Highway that connects Palembang and Bengkulu both in South Sumatra.

'€œThe road was reopened around 19:00 p.m. on Tuesday. This was achieved after police, local figures and personnel from the Indonesian Military held negotiations [with the protesters],'€ Agus said in South Jakarta on Wednesday.

On Monday morning, around 500 demonstrators staged a rally demanding the creation of a new regency '€” North Musi Rawas '€” that had been held up for three years. The House of Representatives had not approved the formation because the Home Ministry had imposed a moratorium on the creation of new regional administrations.

The mob, armed with home-made guns and machetes, asked to meet with the governor and Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi to share their requests.

The protesters demanded that South Sumatra Governor Alex Noerdin included Suban IV, an area rich with natural gas, under the authority of the proposed regency. Alex had previously ruled that Suban IV was part of Musi Banyuasin regency, located on the eastern side of Musi Rawas.

Unfortunately, the peaceful rally turned ugly on Monday evening when the mob burned down two nearby police offices and destroyed ten vehicles and at 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, officers from Rupit police station fired shots at the mob, which resulted in the death of four protesters. Dozens of protesters and five police were also injured in the clash that ensued.

According to Antara news agency, the governor, with the assistance of the 2nd Regional Military Command (Kodam II) Sriwijaya commander Maj. Gen. Nugroho Widyotomo, met with the demonstrators and promised to materialize the formation of North Musi Rawas on May 15 at the latest.

South Sumatra Police officials met with local figures on Tuesday night, pledging that they would bring those responsible for the shooting to justice.

'€œWe are conducting an internal investigation to find out who fired the shots. The locals demanded a rotation of all officers [from Rupit police station]. We cannot do that quickly because it will impact on our service to the public. We will make the rotation gradually,'€ Agus said.

The meeting was facilitated by former South Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. (ret) Iskandar Hasan, who is now running for governor in the resource-rich province.