BATAM: Two people were left dead and 10 people injured after a land dispute triggered a clash involving air rifles and sharp weapons in Setokok area, Barelang Bridge III in Batam city, Riau Islands, on Monday afternoon.
The dead are identified as Heri Ndondo and Edi Palue, both working as security guards and affiliated with a group that assisted tenant farmers from East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). They fought with a local group identified as the Sea Eagles, allegedly led by a figure named Suherman.
The clash reportedly stemmed from a land possession dispute over a 77-hectare plot.
The tenants, through their lawyer, Abdullah Yusuf, claimed that they had cultivated the land for decades and had a land statement letter (SKT).
On the other hand, their claim overlaps with possession claims made by PT SAT Bangun Sukses (SAT BS) and a location designation (PL) document issued by the Batam Free Trade Zone Authority (BP Batam) for PT MIG Perkasa Industri (MIG PI).
Police officers from Riau Islands Police and Batam, Rempang and Galang (Barelang) City Police, as well as soldiers from the Military District Command (Kodim) 0316/Batam, were deployed to secure the location, control the situation and arrest the perpetrators.
“The incident started with a land conflict that has been around for quite some time,” Barelang City Police chief Sr. Comr. Anggoro Wicaksoono told The Jakarta Post on Monday evening.
Anggoro said the dead victims and seven wounded men were from the first group, while the second group reported three wounded victims.
He said the police are still investigating the causes of death through autopsy at Bhayangkara Police Hospital in Batam.
“Initial investigation indicated the use of air rifles during the clash, and not firearms,” he said. “Autopsy processes are still ongoing to ensure what caused the victims’ deaths.”
Separately, BP Batam deputy for public services Ariastuty Sirait said BP Batam had allocated the disputed land to PT MIG Perkasa Industri.
“The land has been allocated to PT MIG Perkasa Industri according to prevailing procedures and mechanisms,” she said briefly.
Initial investigation revealed the clash was triggered by spontaneous actions in the field.
Anggoro said one side relied on legal documentation, while the other still claims and physically holds the land.
The clash happened when the Sea Eagles arrived at the disputed land, prompting the group holding the land to launch a retaliatory attack.
Anggoro said the clash was purely a land dispute and unrelated to ethnic, religious, racial, or sectarian (SARA) issues or other land conflicts in Riau Islands territory.
“The clash was purely a land conflict. It has nothing to do with SARA issues of land conflicts in other places,” he said. “The land conflict’s object has no relation to the Rempang Eco City project. This is a different conflict.”
As of Monday evening, the police have detained six people directly involved in the clash, including the main culprit. - Japan Post/ANN
