Indonesian marines kill at least 3 in land dispute

SURABAYA, Indonesia, May 30 (Reuters) Indonesian marines shot dead at least three villagers on Java island today during a protest over a plot of land claimed by both the military and locals, a navy officer and hospital staff said.

Villagers armed with machetes and rocks attacked the marines who were undergoing training in the district of Pasuruan, said Tony Syaiful, a navy spokesman.

''We don't know who started it but villagers began throwing rocks at our members,'' Syaiful said. ''Because they attacked us in a brutal manner, the officers attacked back. Several of our members were injured.'' He said the troops were forced to open fire because they were outnumbered.

Syaiful said three people were killed in the clash but an official at the Syaiful Anwar hospital said five bodies and seven injured people had been brought in.

Two of the injured, including a boy, had serious bullet wounds.

A local legal aid activist, Atoillah, said the land dispute between villagers and the military dated back to the 1960s.

In 1994 a court ruled that the 8,900-acre plot belonged to the navy. This week the East Java high court upheld the ruling, sparking protests by the villagers.

REUTERS GL VV1516