Attacks on churches instigated: Military

MAGELANG (JP): Army Chief of Staff Gen. R. Hartono yesterday said that the attacks on East Java churches last week were instigated by people who wished to see the country plunge into turmoil.

"I know the characteristic of Moslems in the area (where the attack occurred). They love unity. They are good people. So, if they became violent, it must be because they were provoked," Hartono, who is also former chief of East Java military command, told reporters.

He said he did not know any of the rioters detained after the violence, but added that the reasons why the usually devout Situbondo people became violent and attacked churches would be revealed by police investigation.

About 40 people were arrested in connection with the riots which left at least five people dead and damaged 25 churches, Catholic schools and other public facilities.

Hartono refused to consider the riots as a failure of the religious leaders in Situbondo.

"We can't blame religious leaders there because people are too diverse," Hartono said.

The Armed Forces have assigned a fact-finding team to Situbondo and the surrounding areas where the five hours of violence took place on Thursday last week, he said.

Sahal Mahfudz, a leader of the 30-million Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Moslem organization, whose members were said to have been involved in the riots, called for inter-faith dialogs.

He called on everybody to be honest with themselves and to analyze the reasons behind the riots. Introspection is needed to prevent such unrest from recurring, he said.

"We need to realize how sensitive this case is, and we need to prove our commitment to non-violence when voicing dissatisfaction," he said.

"Nothing can't be discussed. People should learn from the incident, and start living harmoniously with one another again," he said.

The riots were reportedly sparked by Situbondo Moslems who were angry over the jail term requested by the prosecution for a Moslem sect member standing trial for blasphemy against Islam.

The mob, considering the requested punishment too lenient, burned down the court building and set fire to a nearby church after someone shouted that the defendant, Saleh, was hidden inside.

The rampage spread to surrounding areas, and raged for five hours before troops were able to contain it.

On Sunday, NU chairman Abdurrachman Wahid begged for forgiveness because he believed many of the perpetrators were NU members.

NU Secretary-General Ahmad Bagdja later said the NU was not behind the riots. He said the attacks were criminal acts, but not fueled by religious hatred.

Abdurrachman said he did not think that the riots were engineered but exploded out of people's rage. He also named a number of factors that could have triggered the unrest, including poverty. (har/ste)