Jakartans told to work for religious harmony<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho
\nDjajoesman urged city residents on Wednesday to work together for
\nreligious harmony and not resort to violent means to end
\ndisputes.<\/p>\n
\"Any religion should not be used as a reason for inciting
\nchaos and destruction, anywhere in the capital or outside.<\/p>\n
\"I urge all city residents to stop burning and hurting people
\nin the name of religion. It causes us great pain to see what is
\nhappening to this capital,\" Noegroho said on the sidelines of a
\nformal meeting with Muslim religious leaders at Jakarta Police
\nHeadquarters.<\/p>\n
He was referring to widespread vandalism in Bekasi, some 30
\nkilometers east of Jakarta, on Tuesday night, which began when
\nabout 500 Bekasi residents set a house on fire. The house owner
\nclaimed to be a prophet.<\/p>\n
The unrest spread and Bekasi Police were stretched in
\ncontrolling thousands of residents who rampaged on Tuesday night,
\nsetting fire to buildings in three different areas of Bekasi, the
\ncity police spokesman said.<\/p>\n
Lt. Col. Zainuri Lubis said on Wednesday that the public
\nshould not assume the police would be lenient in handling unrest.<\/p>\n
\"If we have to implement discipline, even if things are at
\ntheir worst, we will. We plan to take the strictest measures
\npossible if such occurrences are repeated again.\"<\/p>\n
At about 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, some 500 people set fire to the
\nhome of Fianus Edi, 53, in Srengseng village, Sukamulya, in Suka
\nTani, Bekasi.<\/p>\n
\"The local residents became angry when Fianus went around
\ntelling people that he was a Rasul (prophet). So they burned his
\nhome down. Losses are estimated at Rp 300 million (US$42,860),\"
\nZainuri said.<\/p>\n
An hour later, some 3,000 local residents set fire to a hotel
\nand three motorcycles, as well as vandalizing 18 foodstalls on
\nJl. Citarik Raya, which straddles Bekasi and Karawang regency.<\/p>\n
\"It took three fire engines to put out the fire. There were no
\ncasualties. The local residents got angry as they suspected that
\nthe 18 foodstalls and Hotel Sukarat were fronts for
\nprostitution,\" Zainuri said.<\/p>\n
At about 11 p.m., some 1,000 local residents in Lemah Abang
\nsubdistrict, Bekasi, burned four food stalls and vandalized three
\nothers which they believed were places of prostitution.<\/p>\n
The vandalism occurred on Jl. Raya Lemah Abang in Tanjung Baru
\nvillage, Lemah Abang.<\/p>\n
\"Local residents felt they had protested long enough. So they
\njust burned the place,\" Zainuri said. (ylt)<\/p>",
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