Victims Rally Turns Violent in Porong

750 Lapindo mud victims have staged a large rally in Porong (4/12), blocking the city’s main road and causing lengthy traffic jams of up to 5 kilometers. The rally begun at 8:30am and continued for 3 hours until negotiations ended with protesters agreeing to move on, but not before violence between the group and police broke out.
Rally porong
Organised by GEPPRES (Movement to Support Presidential Regulation No. 14, 2007), protesters called for the 80 percent payment of compensation for their homes, buildings and assets swallowed by the hot mud flow that begun in May 2006. The rally was also a form of support for a delegation of fellow victims currently campaigning in Jarkarta. Earlier this week, a group of 70 GEPPRES supporters joined with a 1500 strong Pewakilan Warga Perumtas victim group in Jakarta to demand an explanation for the stall in payments.

The group has also drafted a agenda that they hope to give to the President. The demands include the payment of the remaining 80 percent compensation, that Petok D, Letter C and SK Gogol be given the same status as Ownership Certificates in accordance with Presidential Decree Number 14/2007, and finally that the payment of 80 percent be paid in cash, overseen by the government and not in installments. The 80 percent was due to be paid in December but Lapindo claims that the global financial crisis and subsequent financial losses has slowed payments.

A compensation agreement was settled in Jakarta in Wednesday, between victims, Lapindo and the BPLS, the Sidoarjo Mudflow Mitigation Agency (BPLS). The agreement will see families receive their remaining 80 percent compensation in monthly increments of Rp 30 million.

But those outside the Perumtas group, especially those rallying in Sidoarjo and Porong say this isn't good enough.

Women, children and men together waved banners and home made posters shouting ‘The Law Will Not Be Defeated By the Bakrie Group’ and ‘Bakrie’s Conglomerate Makes the Poor Poorer.’
Rally
Violence broke out later when police tried to clear the crowd for vehicles to pass through the main road between major cities of Surabaya and Malang. Many were injured. Some protesters were hit by the police officer’s batons and pushed aside by shields. It was unknown who started the violence.

‘The problem is that the residents are from four villages, they don't yet know one another. So we do not know which resident started the violence. In fact, there are some policemen wearing civilian clothes and improvising as residents’ said Rofi’i, one of the residents in the Jatirejo village volunteer team.

Three protesters were arrested during the violence and taken to the local police station. At 5:00pm 200 residents blocked the police station, demanding their fellow villagers to be released. They were freed at 7 am.