Xmas peaceful under tight security<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The religious violence hotspots of Poso in Central Sulawesi and
\nAmbon in Maluku remained calm as Christmas was celebrated
\npeacefully across Indonesia on Monday and Tuesday.<\/p>\n
As of late last night, there had been no reports of unrest,
\ndespite fears of a repeat of last year's wave of bomb attacks on
\nchurches that killed 19 people and injured scores more throughout
\nthe country on Christmas Eve, 2000.<\/p>\n
Security personnel stood guard at churches throughout the
\ncelebrations.<\/p>\n
Except for a small explosion in Cikoko, South Jakarta on
\nMonday morning, the capital was largely calm, with thousands of
\nChristians flocking to churches to attend Christmas services.<\/p>\n
At Jakarta's Cathedral, one of the churches that was bombed
\nlast year, churchgoers were subjected to stringent security
\nchecks before they could enter the compound. Bomb squads stood at
\nthe ready near the colonial-era building.<\/p>\n
The same security measures were in force at all churches in
\nthe capital as most Christians were still traumatized by last
\nyear's bombings.<\/p>\n
\"Jakarta is safe. Police and military forces and Muslim
\norganizations helped maintain the security,\" Jakarta Police Chief
\nMakbul Padmanagara said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
However, he asked people to stay alert for bombs like the one
\nthat exploded in Cikoko, South Jakarta on Monday morning. No
\ninjuries were reported from the blast.<\/p>\n
In Poso, which has been gripped by religious conflicts,
\nChristmas celebrations, centered at Tentena district, went
\nsmoothly with most Christians attending the midnight service and
\nthe Tuesday morning celebrations.<\/p>\n
A policeman in Poso told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that
\nCentral Sulawesi Police Chief Brig. Gen. Zainal Abidin Ishak
\nspent Christmas eve in the strife-torn area to directly supervise
\nthe security situation.<\/p>\n
In Ambon, which had been plagued by religious conflict since
\nJanuary 1999, Christmas was celebrated in a modest and peaceful
\nway. Some Christians, however, had to celebrate Christmas in
\nrefugee camps.<\/p>\n
Firecrackers boomed through the night in Ambon, a noisy
\nreminder for some of the violence that has taken hold in the
\ncity.<\/p>\n
In Yogyakarta, police authorities urged Muslims not to attend
\na planned joint Christmas celebration involving people from all
\nreligions at Saint Antonius Church to stave off anger from
\nreligious hardliners there.<\/p>\n
Yogyakarta Police Chief Sr. Comr. Ibnu Sudjak came to the
\nchurch just one hour before the celebration was due to start and
\nasked all Muslims to leave the venue saying that certain hardline
\ngroups threatened to start rioting in the area if the Muslims
\nattended the planned Christmas celebrations.<\/p>\n
The muslims heeded to police's advice and left. The service
\ncontinued.<\/p>\n
In other big cities like Medan in North Sumatra, Bandung in
\nWest Java and Surabaya in East Java, which were also hit by bomb
\nattacks last Christmas, Christians celebrated Christmas
\npeacefully. In Medan, North Sumatra security officers guarded
\nchurches and no incidents were reported.<\/p>\n
Christmas in Bandung also passed without disturbance as
\nthousands of Christians joined Christmas services under heavy
\nsecurity.<\/p>\n
Police in Pekanbaru, Riau conducted checks on vehicles Monday
\nas part of security measures ahead of Christmas. Passengers had
\ntheir identification cards checked while the cars were searched
\nfor weapons, explosives and other harmful materials.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/xmas-peaceful-under-tight-security-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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