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Police 'react' with violence against Komodo price hike protesters
West Manggarai Police have confirmed that several people were arrested and injured on Monday, when workers of local tourism businesses started a month-long protest against the government-imposed price hike for admission to Komodo National Park.
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A Komodo dragon opens its jaws as a group of tourists watches at Komodo National Park in East Nusa Tenggara, in this undated file photograph. (Kemenparekraf handout/-)
Agencies
A number of people have been arrested and injured following a rally on Monday protesting the central government’s decision to sharply increase ticket prices for Komodo National Park in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).
Rio Prakoso, a member of the local tourism organization, said that tourism workers were engaged in a clean-up activity at the Puncak Waringin tourist site when security forces dispersed them.
“We were cleaning and picking up trash in the area when armed personnel came and told us to disperse at around noon Central Indonesian Time,” Rio told media portal Detik.com on Monday evening in Labuan Bajo, the gateway town to the park.
He said the “armed personnel” had beaten up and arrested several other people as they were being dispersed. Tourism workers then went to the West Manggarai Police station in the evening to show solidarity with those who had been arrested.
“We came in peace and were sitting in front of the office, but the police proceeded to disperse us with force,” said Rio.
Tourism businesses in Komodo National Park began a month-long strike on Monday as the government imposed an 18-fold price hike for admission to the park's most popular islands, Komodo and Padar, from Rp 200,000 (US$13) to Rp 3.75 million ($252).
