ID :
89745
Sun, 11/15/2009 - 10:49
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/89745
The shortlink copeid
POLICE ORDER GREENPEACE TO BREAK UP RAIN FOREST CAMP
Pekanbaru, Indonesia, Nov 14 (ANTARA) - Dozens of Pelalawan police officers came to a Greenpeace camp in a rainforest area in Semenanjung Kampar to force its tenants to break up and leave on Saturday.
The police team led by Pelalawan Police deputy chief Commissioner Ary Doni arrived at the Greenpeace camp at 2.30 local time using a speed boat acoompanied by Teluk Meranti village head Hasan E.
Ary said the police were only doing their job to evacuate the Greenpeace activists to avoid a possible conflict between locals who supported and opposed their presence in the rainforest.
"We only want to evacuate our Greenpeace friends, especially because some of them are foreigners , and avoid a clash between them and local residents. But if they resist, they will do it at their own risk," he said.
There was high tension around the Greenpeace camp because a group of local residents opposed to the activists' presence had voiced their intention to expel them with force, if necessary, while another group of locals supported the Greenpeace activists' presence.
It was to prevent an open clash between the two groups that the police had come to the location armed with batons.
East Asia Greenpeace Forest campaigner Bustar Maitar asked for an official order for their evacuation because he said they had an official permit to set up their camp there.
"Before we set up our camp here, we obtained a permit from the Police Headquarters and reported to the Teluk Meranti village authority," Bustar said.
However, the Teluk Meranti village chief who was also at the location denied he had issued a written permit for Greenpeace to build a camp in Semenanjung Kampar.
"I only gave oral permission to them to be in the rainforest areea but not to set up a camp," he said. ***
The police team led by Pelalawan Police deputy chief Commissioner Ary Doni arrived at the Greenpeace camp at 2.30 local time using a speed boat acoompanied by Teluk Meranti village head Hasan E.
Ary said the police were only doing their job to evacuate the Greenpeace activists to avoid a possible conflict between locals who supported and opposed their presence in the rainforest.
"We only want to evacuate our Greenpeace friends, especially because some of them are foreigners , and avoid a clash between them and local residents. But if they resist, they will do it at their own risk," he said.
There was high tension around the Greenpeace camp because a group of local residents opposed to the activists' presence had voiced their intention to expel them with force, if necessary, while another group of locals supported the Greenpeace activists' presence.
It was to prevent an open clash between the two groups that the police had come to the location armed with batons.
East Asia Greenpeace Forest campaigner Bustar Maitar asked for an official order for their evacuation because he said they had an official permit to set up their camp there.
"Before we set up our camp here, we obtained a permit from the Police Headquarters and reported to the Teluk Meranti village authority," Bustar said.
However, the Teluk Meranti village chief who was also at the location denied he had issued a written permit for Greenpeace to build a camp in Semenanjung Kampar.
"I only gave oral permission to them to be in the rainforest areea but not to set up a camp," he said. ***
