Purbalingga, C Java (ANTARA News) - The House of Representatives (DPR) will soon summon the chiefs of the National Defense Forces (TNI), the National Police (Polri) and the National Land Agency (BPN) over a clash between military personnel and villagers in Kebumen, Central Java, on April 16.

"The DPR through the House Commission I will ask to what extent the TNI personnel involved in the clash made an effort (to avoid a clash), and whether any TNI member has already received a sanction for misconduct in the incident. We will raise the questions to the TNI chief," DPR member Bambang Soesatyo said here on Tuesday.

The House would serve a summons on the TNI chief shortly after the current recess period was over, he said.

He said the House would also summon the police chief in connection with the investigation of villagers involved in the clash.

In this respect, the House would ask the police about a short text message from an unidentified person instigating the TNI personnel and villagers to clash, he said.

"They clashed because somebody had tried to provoke both the TNI and villagers," he said.

He said DPR would also ask BPN to clarify the status of land at Buluspesantren, Kebumen district, as the root of the clash was a dispute over the ownership of the land.

"We hope there will be permanent solution after we have summoned them," he said.

Head of the Army`s Public Information Service Col. Dedy Agus Purwoko said recently the Army personnel had taken persuasive and procedural steps to prevent the villagers from pushing their way into the Army`s research and development unit station.

"But they ignored (the measures) and even kept ransacking the station," he said.

Dedy said the clash followed the residents` refusal of the Army`s research and development unit`s plan to use the area as training ground. "We have given in by relocating the training area. But the residents continued to refuse the offer by holding a rally in front of the station."

Army personnel handled the rally by taking procedural and persuasive measures but they continued to attack and pulled down one of the name boards at the station, he said.

They also cut the branches of trees around the station to blockade the road from and to the station. "Consequently, access to the station was closed. They continued to ransack the station," he said.

Seeing that the mass turned uncontrollable, the Army personnel acted in self defense to protect the assets inside the station, he said.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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