54 in Situbondo riot to stand trial soon

SURABAYA (JP): Police have submitted to the Situbondo district prosecutors office dossiers on 54 people suspected of involvement in the recent riots that claimed five lives and damaged a score of churches, an officer said.

East Java Police Chief Soemarsono said here yesterday the trial will be held in Situbondo. He did not say when proceedings would start.

Soemarsono said there were 14 people suspected of instigating the violence, including some aged 16 and 17.

"We have postponed arresting those who still go to school. It is at their families' request," he said.

The authorities, in a meeting with the local office of the Agency for the Coordination of Support for National Stability, have decided to prevent people from gathering during the coming trial. To prevent the possibility of future riots the authorities have also decided to limit the number of people allowed to attend the proceedings.

Soemarsono said his office had asked ulemas in the predominately Moslem town of Situbondo, some 166 kilometers east of here, to help maintain calm. He also said peace and order had been restored.

K.H. Fawa'id Syamsul Arifin, leader of the As-Syafi'iyah Salafiyah Islamic Boarding School in Asembagus, Situbondo, said the riots were partially caused by disharmony between ulemas and the authorities.

The relationship between the two parties was "distant", he said, as the authorities had frequently failed to respond to many of the ulemas' concerns.

One concerns had been the controversial city ruling on alcoholic beverages. Another, the many pornographic billboards displayed by the authorities, in spite of complaints.

"Since the riots, officials have been calling me every day. It may be a blessing in disguise," he said. (15/05)