Five killed in attacks on East Java churches: Govt<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Five people died when a mob attacked several
\nchurches and Christian schools in the East Java town of Situbondo
\non Thursday, but order has been restored, according to the
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
\"The government regrets the incident and hopes that it will
\nnever be repeated in any other part of the country,\"
\nMinister\/State Secretary Moerdiono said at his office yesterday.<\/p>\n
Moerdiono called on the public to exercise restraint and
\nignore provocative rumors.<\/p>\n
\"This incident could ruin the peaceful religious coexistence
\nthat we have been building...as taught by the state ideology
\nPancasila,\" Moerdiono said.<\/p>\n
\"Freedom of religion is a basic right, not something that the
\ngovernment or any group grants, therefore the government calls on
\nall religious leaders to increase their efforts to guide their
\ncongregations so that such an incident will never happen again,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Moerdiono said the riot broke out Thursday during the trial of
\na local Moslem of an obscured sect who is accused of blasphemy
\nagainst Islam.<\/p>\n
Reports said that when the prosecution requested the court to
\nsentence defendant Saleh to five years in prison, a mob of around
\n3,000 people outside the court building were enraged. The crowd
\ndemanded the court mete out the death penalty or hand the
\ndefendant over to them.<\/p>\n
Sources said the crowd then ran amok, setting the court
\nbuilding alight and then turning on a nearby church after someone
\nreportedly shouted that Saleh was hidden there. They continued
\nattacking other churches as they saw them.<\/p>\n
The crowd also burnt cars, Christian schools and shops in the
\nviolence which reportedly lasted five hours before troops from
\nthe 514th infantry battalion were deployed.<\/p>\n
\"The riot has caused some damage, including the burning of
\nsome office buildings, houses of worship, schools, shops and an
\norphanage,\" Moerdiono said.<\/p>\n
\"Thanks to the cooperation of the local administration and
\ncommunity leaders, peace and order has been restored in the
\ncity... those who were responsible will be sanctioned,\" Moerdiono
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Armed Forces (ABRI) Chief of Sociopolitical Affairs Lt. Gen.
\nSyarwan Hamid said yesterday that 120 people had been arrested
\nfor taking part in the rampage.<\/p>\n
ABRI Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung and Chief of National
\nPolice Lt. Gen. Dibyo Widodo visited the town yesterday, some 160
\nkilometers east of Surabaya. Roads are now tightly guarded and
\nCatholic schools have been closed.<\/p>\n
Sources said that 70-year-old Pentecostal priest Nim Sia Shin,
\nhis wife, daughter, niece and a servant died in the riot. They
\ndied inside their church.<\/p>\n
The authorities are yet to release details on the number of
\nbuildings damaged in the riot. There have been varying reports,
\nbut the Communion of Churches in Indonesia said that churches
\nwere also burned in nearby towns, Besuki, Panarukan, Banyu Putih,
\nAsem Bagus and Wonorejo.<\/p>\n
The Communion of Churches also said the crowd damaged a
\nBuddhist temple, a Catholic school and a Protestant school. It
\nsaid the number of people killed was six, adding a church
\nemployee to the official death toll.<\/p>\n
Sources said that security, several local police officers, at
\nthe hearing seemed inadequate given the disturbances in previous
\ncourt sessions. The court's first session was marred when the
\ncrowd grabbed Saleh from his guards and beat him up. The second
\nsession lead to an attack on the prosecutor's office.<\/p>\n
Sources said yesterday that \"although it is calm, most of the
\nshops in Situbondo are still closed.\"<\/p>\n
The media in Surabaya have reportedly been terrorized by
\nmysterious callers asking why they did not publish the riot
\nstory yesterday.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's 200 million population on its 17,500 islands is
\nmore than 85 percent Moslem, but the state ideology preaches
\nreligious tolerance and recognizes five main religions.
\n(27\/15\/swe)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/five-killed-in-attacks-on-east-java-churches-govt-1447893297",
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