CONSORTIUM FOR AGRARIAN REFORM (KPA)

against
“Arbitrary Arrest of Labor Peasants in Jembrana Village, Waway Karya Subdistrict, East Lampung Regency by the Resort Police of East Lampung”

Consortium for Agrarian Reform (KPA), as the coalition of 130 non-government organizations, peasants organizations and indigenous people as well as individuals fighting for the implementation of agrarian reform in Indonesia, intended to express a strong protest against the arbitrary arrest of several labor peasants in Jembrana Village of Wayway Subdistrict in East Lampung Regency.

The report of this arbitrary arrest carried out by the Resort Police of East Lampung on August 8th, 2006 was received from KPA’s network in Bandar Lampung, Dewan Rakyat Lampung (Lampung Community Board) and Yayasan Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Indonesia/YLBHI (Indonesian Legal Aid Institute) in Bandar Lampung. Below is the chronological summary of the incident.

Tuesday, August 8th, 2006
At 06.00 pm, 12 (twelve) police officers wearing civilian dress riding on two minivan cars and two motorcycles surrounded the home of three peasants, which were Ketut Pasek Sutarman (40 years), Gede Merta Suteja (35 years), and Gede Blarak (30 years). The police managed to take the above three peasants to the Resort Police Office of East Lampung this day. This arrest was carried out as a follow up for a report filed by H. Ibrahim B.S. complaining that people had harvested his copra.

Wednesday, August 9th, 2006
At 09.00 am, four peasants accompanied by some representatives from Dewan Rakyat Lampung and LBH Bandar Lampung held a meeting at LBH’s office and decided to conduct an investigation on this case and that they should visit the Resort Police Office of East Lampung.

At 01.00 pm, the representatives arrived at the police office and were received by the Chief of Resort and Crime Unit. The discussion in the meeting run toughly. Even though there was only weak evidence, the Chief still determined an arrest for the three peasants.
At 04.00 pm, the representatives left the police office.

At 04.30 pm, four peasants were arrested without any clear reasons by the resort police of East Lampung on their way back home. The four peasants were Wayan Doder (40 years), Ketut Sudio (60 years), Mulani (50 years), and Gede Buni Hartane (30 years).

KPA’s Expression
Based on the chronology received by KPA, there was awkwardness in the arrest of seven peasants in Jembrana Village indicating injustice against labor peasants. This awkwardness was indicated by the results of the investigation conducted by Dewan Rakyat Lampung stating that this arrest by the resort police of East Lampung was carried out without a letter of summons, whereas the resort police claimed that they used this letter of summons as the base for the arrest of the three peasants being suspected of stealing the copra. Meanwhile, the arrest of the other four peasants clearly indicated that the police do not respect civilian’s rights, because they were caught on their way back home and there was no letter for arrestment shown during the arrest.

Another awkwardness in this case is the police’s reason in issuing a letter of summons accusing the peasants of stealing and taking lands arbitrarily. Whereas, according to LBH Bandar Lampung, the resort police of East Lampung had acknowledged that this case of land taking did not have the nature as being accused, which meant that the investigation process on this case was legally null. However, the same accusation was used to arrest the seven peasants.    

It is based on the above chronology that the Consortium for Agrarian Reform (KPA) states its expression as follow:

1. Strongly protest the arbitrary arrest by the Resort Police of East Lampung against seven peasants from Jembrana Village in Wayway Subdistrict of East Lampung Regency because this arrest was carried out without a warrant and with no clear and strong evidence on the accusation against the peasants. Therefore, KPA demands the Chief of the Police of the Republic of Indonesia (KAPOLRI) to immediately take a firm action against the mistake carried out by the Resort Police of East Lampung and to take an appropriate measure.
2. Demand the Chief of Resort Police of East Lampung to immediately release the seven peasants being arrested with no conditions. As well as requesting the police not to interfere in every land dispute case in East Lampung involving peasants and businesspeople, especially with violence.
3. Demand the Regent of East Lampung to strongly support the labor peasants by giving access to them to ensure their welfare in East Lampung.
   

Thus this letter of protest was developed to be noticed by all related parties.

Bandung, August 11, 2006

Consortium for Agrarian Reform (KPA)

Usep Setiawan
Secretary General