N. Sulawesi villagers attack store<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A mob of about 200 villagers ransacked a store
\nin North Sulawesi's Gorontalo regency on Friday after its owner
\nallegedly insulted Islam, a police official said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
But Gorontalo police chief Lt. Col. Priya Ismail denied an
\nAntara report that Shangrilla minimarket, owned by a Chinese-
\nIndonesian villager identified as Tommy, was set on fire in
\nBuntulia Selatan in Marisa subdistrict.<\/p>\n
\"No, it was not burned. The villagers, instead, dragged the
\ngoods outside and set them on fire on the street,\" he told The
\nJakarta Post by phone from Gorontalo.<\/p>\n
Two nearby rest shelters for store employees were damaged by
\nfire, Priya added.<\/p>\n
The unrest was purely due to a personal misunderstanding and
\nnot religious strife or ethnic hostilities, Priya said.<\/p>\n
The store was the only building targeted by the mob but local
\ncommunity elders had vouched for Tommy's family's generosity, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The village is about 200 kilometers from the Gorontalo capital
\nof Limboto. Gorontalo, a predominantly Muslim regency, is about
\n250 kilometers southwest of the provincial capital of Manado.<\/p>\n
Priya said the incident began when Rahman, an employee of
\nstate-owned insurance company PT Jiwasraya, visited Tommy's store
\non Thursday.<\/p>\n
He said he overheard a conversation in which Tommy offered a
\nrug to a customer identified as Yantje.<\/p>\n
Rahman was offended when he saw the item was actually a prayer
\nmat.<\/p>\n
\"He later told villagers in a nearby auto shop that their
\nreligion had been insulted,\" Priya said.<\/p>\n
Rahman told police the villagers immediately wanted to vent
\ntheir anger. He said he advised them to consult the subdistrict
\nhead.<\/p>\n
Priya said a meeting was finally scheduled for the Marisa
\nsubdistrict head's house at 3 p.m. on Friday. Participants
\ndecided they would visit Tommy's store to seek clarification.<\/p>\n
\"When they arrived, the mob of about 200 villagers, mostly
\nteenagers, was already dragging goods out of Tommy's store and
\nsetting them ablaze.\"<\/p>\n
The community elders, assisted by other villagers, helped
\nquell the unrest by persuading the people to disperse, Priya
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"It's OK now,\" he said. \"Nobody was hurt.\"<\/p>\n
Priya added police were investigating who incited the crowd to
\ngather at the store as the community elders' meeting was
\nproceeding.<\/p>\n
Tommy is in shock and sheltered at the nearby military post,
\nAntara reported on Saturday. In contrast to Priya's report, it
\nsaid two teenagers were hurt in the incident.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the news agency reported that peace and order had
\nreturned to the Central Sulawesi town of Poso, which last week
\nwas rocked by unrest in which several buildings were vandalized
\nand set ablaze.<\/p>\n
Poso police chief Lt. Col. Deddy Woeryondono was quoted as
\nattributing the unrest to criminal reasons rather than religious
\ndiscord.<\/p>\n
The riots broke out at dawn on Dec. 26 after a man praying at
\na local mosque was attacked by three drunken men with a machete.
\nThe victim sustained serious injuries.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta last November, at least 14 people died and several
\nchurches were torched and vandalized after a misunderstanding
\nbroke out between residents and hoodlums.<\/p>\n
Retaliatory violence later followed in Kupang, East Nusa
\nTenggara, and Ujungpandang in South Sulawesi. (aan)<\/p>",
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