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Farmers injured in clash with soldiers over disputed land
A neglected agrarian land conflict in Kebumen regency, Central Java has led to a number of clashes between farmers and soldiers, with the latest on Wednesday reportedly leaving more than a dozen farmers wounded in Brencong village
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span>A neglected agrarian land conflict in Kebumen regency, Central Java has led to a number of clashes between farmers and soldiers, with the latest on Wednesday reportedly leaving more than a dozen farmers wounded in Brencong village.
The clash happened when a group of local farmers tried to stop military personnel from building fences on land claimed by both the Army and the civilian farmers near Urut Sewu beach by Brencong village in Bulupesantren district. The dispute has gone on for decades and is still not resolved.
The lawyer representing the farmers, Teguh Purnomo, confirmed the incident took place.
“It is true. We are still doing guidance and data collecting. So far, at least 16 farmers were wounded in the incident,” Teguh told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
To file legal reports, the farmers had undergone medical examinations in the Buluspesantren community health center.
“We regret that violence should happen. The root of the problem is the agrarian land conflict neglected by the government. The military should not make the decision to build a fence on people’s land and do violence,” Teguh said.
Meanwhile, the farmers' coordinator, Imam Zuhdi, claimed that one of the wounded had been shot with a rubber bullet.
Three violent clashes over the land dispute had happened in 2011, 2015 and 2019.
In April 2011, four residents were reportedly shot with rubber bullets and six others were injured after being hit by blunt objects. The clash ended with the imprisonment of some civilians.
Another clash happened in 2015 when the military built a fence around the area. At that time 11 farmers and a village official who tried to interfere were wounded.
After the clash on Wednesday, a number of angry farmers and other civilians protested in front of the Kebumen regent’s office to demand protection and a solution to the problem.
Although the farmers were not allowed to enter the office, Regent Yazid Mahfud promised them he would try to solve the problem between the farmers and the military. However, he said he could not do much as the fence had been ordered built by the central government.
The disputed land in Urut Sewu consists of a 1,000-hectare lot over 15 villages in three districts in Kebumen.
The land is approximately 23 kilometers in length and 500 meters in width. The Army has claimed it and regularly used it to test heavy weapons since the 1980s. Thousands of local farmers, meanwhile, have insisted that the land is theirs, arguing that it had been cultivated by their families for many decades.
Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo has suggested that the conflict should be resolved in court.
“We have requested the Kebumen regency administration to facilitate a meeting. If it is difficult, then it should be [resolved through] legal procedures and during the legal procedures there should not be any activities on the disputed land,” Ganjar told the Post recently.
The Kebumen Military Command decided in 2015 that the Army would continue building fences to enclose the disputed land, arguing that the area had been designated a “national defense area”. (gis)
