JAKARTA's Tanjung Priok Port international container terminal TPK Koja was the site of a violent clash at the main gates between local residents and workers over the demolition of an Islamic cemetery within land owned by state-owned port operator PT Pelindo II.

Indonesian transport minister Freddy Numberi said the disturbance over the grave yard, which is said to be the resting place of Islamic leader Habib Hasan bin Muhammad al Haddad, also known locally as Mbah Priok, did not hold up shipments.

"Two or three shipments were delayed, But now [shipments] are back to normal again. There's no problem," Mr Numberi said at the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Public-Private Partnerships for Infrastructure Development.

The clash led to the death of three officers and at least 160 injured and marks the most serious civil disturbance since the 1998 riots over the country's economic crisis, the Jakarta Post reported.

But the government stated an agreement had been reached with the family of Mbah Priok to maintain his resting place with an access road and expansion would continue, said Reuters.

The land has been fought over and contested by the local community since Pelindo gained ownership in a legal battle in 2002, but objection to the land's heritage value persists.

Source: shipping online