Mob burns 10 churches in Mataram<\/p>\n
DENPASAR, Bali (JP): Ten churches were either torched or
\ndamaged in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, on Monday when a mob ran
\nriot after a gathering to protest sectarian violence in Maluku.<\/p>\n
The unrest broke out after 5,000 people grouped in Islamic
\nSolidarity for the Ambonese gathered at an open field in front of
\nthe 162 Wirabhakti military headquarters in the main town of
\nMataram.<\/p>\n
The gathering, held to show concern for continuing violence in
\nMaluku, was originally planned as an interfaith meeting.<\/p>\n
\"A dispute suddenly occurred during the rally and triggered
\nthe arson,\" Udayana Military spokesman Lt. Col. Bambang Budi
\nLelono said.<\/p>\n
By the afternoon it was confirmed that at least four churches
\n-- Immanuel Church, Maria Immaculata Church, Pantekosta Church
\nand another on Jl. Bung Karno -- were razed by fire.<\/p>\n
The Panini restaurant, which rioters suspected was used for
\nChristian services, was also set on fire.<\/p>\n
A member of the Indonesian Red Cross in Mataram, Lalu Iwan,
\nsaid that 25 people were injured and taken to Mataram General
\nHospital.<\/p>\n
Udayana Regional Military Commander Maj. Gen. Kiki Syahnakri
\nimmediately flew from Bali to Lombok to review the situation.<\/p>\n
According to Kiki, 10 churches were either pelted by stones or
\ndestroyed by fire.<\/p>\n
\"No fatalities were reported in the fray,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"The riot was triggered by a small number of people. This is
\nevident from the fact that many Muslims were active in protecting
\ntheir Christian brothers and sisters,\" Kiki told The Jakarta Post
\nby telephone in the evening.<\/p>\n
He added that Catholic families took shelter in a Islamic
\nboarding school and Muslim youths guarded a Catholic hospital to
\ndeter attacks.<\/p>\n
Kiki said security forces brought the situation under control
\nby the afternoon.<\/p>\n
A total of six police and military companies were quickly
\ndeployed to quell the unrest. A special cavalry platoon based in
\nTuban, Bali, was also put on standby.<\/p>\n
At least 20 people were detained but it remains unclear what
\nsparked the unrest.<\/p>\n
Bambang believed the riot was led by provocateurs, not the
\ndemonstrators who came to express concern about Maluku.<\/p>\n
Kiki said that people shouted incendiary slogans during the
\ngathering.<\/p>\n
There also were reports that flyers urging people to join the
\nmass rally and embark on a holy war in Maluku and North Maluku
\nwere circulated in the area beginning on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The unrest in Lombok is fueling mounting concerns of sectarian
\nstrife spreading from Maluku to other areas.<\/p>\n
Last week thousands gathered in Jakarta for a mass rally in
\nwhich there were calls for a holy war following reports of the
\nkilling of Muslims in Maluku and North Maluku.<\/p>\n
The sectarian unrest in Maluku has lasted for more than a
\nyear. Although primarily limited to Ambon for most of 1999, the
\nviolence spread to North Maluku after Christmas, bringing the
\ntotal number of dead to some 2,000.<\/p>\n
Mainly Muslim Lombok also has large Hindu and Christian
\npopulations, while neighboring Bali is predominantly Hindu.<\/p>\n
Scores of people, including staff of the World Wild Fund for
\nNature (WWF) in Lombok, reportedly left for Bali through the port
\nof Ampenan. A source at Mataram airport said flights continued as
\nusual and the last flight departed for Bali with several empty
\nseats.<\/p>\n
Residents of Bali feared the riots may spread to their island.<\/p>\n
\"Lombok is very close to Bali. We also fear that many refugees
\nwill throng Bali because it is always considered a safe haven,\" a
\nlocal, Ruscitadewi, said. (zen\/edt)<\/p>",
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