'Don't offend others' religious sensibilities'

'Don't offend others' religious sensibilities'

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto last night appealed to all
religious communities to make known to others their particular
sensibilities to avoid misunderstandings.

"We fully realize that every religious community has its
particular sensibilities. These should be made known to the other
communities, so that they do not offend them by mistake,"
Soeharto said during a Christmas reception with civil servants
and members of the Armed Forces at the Jakarta Convention Center.

"There have been a number of disconcerting incidents in
several places in our country this year which were caused by
ignorance of religious sensibilities," he said.

"It is the duty of us all to remind one another of these
sensibilities, so that no one forgets about these things.

"This way, we would not only prevent misunderstandings between
various communities, we can even build mutual understanding and
mutual respect which can soothe our hearts," the President said.

His speech did not refer to any particular incident.

This year has seen a number of communal strife, from the
troubled province of East Timor to Purwakarta in West Java. Many
of these incidents fueled tensions in other parts of the country,
including Jakarta.

In the predominantly Roman Catholic East Timor, two people
were killed in violent riots in September that had its origins
when a local prison official, who is a Moslem, made offensive
remarks about Roman Catholics. Thousands of Moslem migrants were
forced to flee because of the riots.

In Pekalongan, Central Java, dozens of shops were destroyed
when angry young Moslems took to the streets following reports
that a man of Chinese descent, who later turned out to be
mentally deranged, was seen tearing the Koran apart.

A few weeks earlier, a major department store in Purwakarta,
West Java, became the target of an angry backlash after news
spread that the owner had tortured a local girl accused of
shoplifting. The demonstration had religious undertones because
the girl was wearing a Moslem veil, while the owner is of a
Chinese descent.

Soeharto yesterday said the Christian community in Indonesia
has been active in every phase of the national struggle. "We will
continue to need the Christian community for the future of the
Republic of Indonesia," he said.

The Christian community, including Roman Catholics, make up
about 10 percent of Indonesia's population of 196 million.

Soeharto also underlined that Indonesia's development path is
aimed at attaining both material and spiritual progress.

The reception with President Soeharto, a devout Moslem, has
become a tradition. Besides the choir, there was also a play from
a story and idea that came from T.B. Silalahi, the state minister
of administrative reforms. (01/emb)