Police nab more arson suspects<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Police have arrested two more suspects in
\nconnection with Wednesday night's arson attack on the Christian-
\nowned building complex in Cipayung, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Until last night, police, however, claimed to be still in the
\ndark about the motives of the violent action by the mob against
\nthe Doulos school and rehabilitation center complex.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman, who is
\nfacing calls to step down over his failure to stop the maniacal
\nmob, admitted that the burning of the complex had to do with the
\nactivities of conversion of religion.<\/p>\n
Separately, President Abdurrahman Wahid said he was sure the
\nincident was politically motivated.<\/p>\n
\"I know that there are political motives behind this,\" he told
\nthe congregation at the Baiturrahim Mosque located in the
\nPresidential Palace compound in Central Jakarta after performing
\nFriday prayers.<\/p>\n
As is usual with the President, he did not clarify his words.<\/p>\n
With the arrest of the two men, the number of people arrested
\nfor the attack on the complex that houses a school of theology
\nand drug rehabilitation and psychiatric centers has reached eight
\nsuspects.<\/p>\n
But still none of the police officers were willing to identify
\nthe suspects.<\/p>\n
\"The last two men arrested are the main field coordinators,
\nwho led the burning. The burning had to do with one of two
\nthings: conversion of religion, or a permit (to run the
\nfoundation) problem,\" Noegroho told reporters on Friday.<\/p>\n
\"We are still in the dark about the true motives of the arson
\nattack. We need time to investigate the matter.\"<\/p>\n
Police continued to guard the identities of the suspects and
\nmotives in the attack on the 2.7-hectare site owned by the Doulos
\nFoundation.<\/p>\n
One student died and more than a dozen people were injured
\nwhen some 300 people, armed with sharp weapons and Molotov
\ncocktails, stormed the complex on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n
\"The arson was well planned,\" Noegroho said.<\/p>\n
The fatality was identified as 31-year-old Sariman, a theology
\nstudent from Bantul, Yogyakarta. His body was covered in gash
\nwounds.<\/p>\n
When asked for his comments on the growing demands from the
\ngeneral public and city councillors for him to leave his post as
\nJakarta Police chief, Noegroho said that people must try to
\nunderstand the problem that lay behind the burning.<\/p>\n
\"Whether a permit problem, or a conversion of religion
\nproblem, or any other problem, it was enough to provoke a certain
\ngroup of people to burn the complex,\" Noegroho said.<\/p>\n
\"If the City Council wants me to resign, that is their
\nproblem, not mine. I cannot bother about their point of view.\"<\/p>\n
Noegroho urged the general public to refrain from preaching
\nabout conversion.<\/p>\n
\"There has to be a closeness among all religions. A religion
\nshould not be forced upon someone ... Nobody should force or
\npersuade anybody to convert,\" he said.<\/p>\n
When asked if he was facing a dilemma in finding the answers
\nto the incident, he said: \"I don't think so\".<\/p>\n
Speaking with the dozens of the people at the mosque, the
\nPresident said: \"I urge the Jakarta Police to arrest the
\nwrongdoers and bring them to court. The Jakarta Police chief
\nreported to me on Thursday that four people had so far been
\narrested, so I assure you no more attacks will hit the
\nminorities.\"<\/p>\n
Separately, South Jakarta police chief Lt. Col. Nono Suprijono
\nsaid on Friday that police officers would be deployed, beginning
\nnext week, to secure churches and mosques across the capital.<\/p>\n
\"If we need backup, we'll ask the military. But, we'll make
\nsure that every church and mosque receives its share of security,
\nbeginning from Christmas through the Idul Fitri holiday,\" Nono
\ntold reporters.<\/p>\n
Condemnation over the vicious arson attack by the mob against
\nthe Doulos complex continued on Friday.<\/p>\n
General secretary of the Indonesian Bible Association (PII)
\nReverend Nur Reimas told legislators at the House of
\nRepresentatives that the condemnation was directed at the
\ndestruction, which was carried out under the name of a certain
\nreligion.<\/p>\n
\"Our religion, Christianity, has been accepted worldwide and
\nseveral Christians have proven themselves to be heroes of this
\nnation,\" Nus said.<\/p>\n
\"There are several buildings here without proper building
\npermits, but they were left untouched. We have never led anybody
\nto enter Christianity. Where is the need to lead a person of
\nanother religion into our religion?\"<\/p>\n
PII development board member, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Mantiri, a
\nformer Armed Forces (ABRI) chief of territorial affairs, said
\nthat the Indonesian government was too lenient and allowed people
\nto do as they pleased.<\/p>\n
\"The government allows such crazy incidents to go
\nunpunished ... to go on forever, and there is no action against
\nthe crimes,\" Mantiri said.<\/p>\n
\"I would personally order the shooting of the criminals if I
\nwere still the chief of territorial affairs. Our security
\nofficers today are afraid that they might commit human rights
\nviolations.\"<\/p>\n
\"There is no violation if the act is done to protect the
\npeople.\"<\/p>\n
Antinarcotics foundation, Ridma, said in a statement last
\nnight that widespread narcotics syndicates operating here could
\nhave been behind the attack.<\/p>\n
\"There is a great possibility that the narcotics mafia were
\nbehind the attack. The mafia are used to committing crimes which
\nsmell of religious and racial hatred,\" it said. (ylt\/prb)<\/p>",
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