39 people detained for rioting in Irian

39 people detained for rioting in Irian

JAKARTA (JP): The authorities in Irian Jaya have detained 39 people on suspicion of inciting the March 18 riot in Abepura, near the capital Jayapura.

A spokesperson for the Irian police command, Capt. Try Hastuty, told Antara yesterday that the police originally held 42, but have since released three people.

Included in the 39 detainees are 11 college students and 13 high school students, she said.

The group is being interrogated to determine the extent of their involvement in the riot. Four people were killed, a marketplace torched, dozens of buildings damaged and many cars set ablaze in the riot.

Several thousand people rampaged after the authorities forbade them from seeing the body of secessionist Tom Wanggai. He was rumored to have been murdered in Jakarta while serving a 20-year sentence for subversion.

Among those freed was a 42-year-old lecturer from a local university, Try said.

"But it is possible that he would be summoned again for questioning or even re-arrested if we have new evidence of his involvement," she said.

Separately, the military denied it banned the traditional Easter processions scheduled for early Sunday.

Local military command spokesman Lt. Col. Maulud Hidayat said in Jayapura that the initiative to ban processions came from the Protestant Church.

He said the military has never banned a religious ritual, including the Easter procession. He said the military only bans activities which can easily turn violent. He did not elaborate.

Churches have issued circulars asking Christians to confine their activities to church premises on Easter, Maulud said. (pan)