Five killed in attacks on East Java churches: Govt

JAKARTA (JP): Five people died when a mob attacked several churches and Christian schools in the East Java town of Situbondo on Thursday, but order has been restored, according to the government.

"The government regrets the incident and hopes that it will never be repeated in any other part of the country," Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono said at his office yesterday.

Moerdiono called on the public to exercise restraint and ignore provocative rumors.

"This incident could ruin the peaceful religious coexistence that we have been building...as taught by the state ideology Pancasila," Moerdiono said.

"Freedom of religion is a basic right, not something that the government or any group grants, therefore the government calls on all religious leaders to increase their efforts to guide their congregations so that such an incident will never happen again," he said.

Moerdiono said the riot broke out Thursday during the trial of a local Moslem of an obscured sect who is accused of blasphemy against Islam.

Reports said that when the prosecution requested the court to sentence defendant Saleh to five years in prison, a mob of around 3,000 people outside the court building were enraged. The crowd demanded the court mete out the death penalty or hand the defendant over to them.

Sources said the crowd then ran amok, setting the court building alight and then turning on a nearby church after someone reportedly shouted that Saleh was hidden there. They continued attacking other churches as they saw them.

The crowd also burnt cars, Christian schools and shops in the violence which reportedly lasted five hours before troops from the 514th infantry battalion were deployed.

"The riot has caused some damage, including the burning of some office buildings, houses of worship, schools, shops and an orphanage," Moerdiono said.

"Thanks to the cooperation of the local administration and community leaders, peace and order has been restored in the city... those who were responsible will be sanctioned," Moerdiono said.

Armed Forces (ABRI) Chief of Sociopolitical Affairs Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid said yesterday that 120 people had been arrested for taking part in the rampage.

ABRI Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung and Chief of National Police Lt. Gen. Dibyo Widodo visited the town yesterday, some 160 kilometers east of Surabaya. Roads are now tightly guarded and Catholic schools have been closed.

Sources said that 70-year-old Pentecostal priest Nim Sia Shin, his wife, daughter, niece and a servant died in the riot. They died inside their church.

The authorities are yet to release details on the number of buildings damaged in the riot. There have been varying reports, but the Communion of Churches in Indonesia said that churches were also burned in nearby towns, Besuki, Panarukan, Banyu Putih, Asem Bagus and Wonorejo.

The Communion of Churches also said the crowd damaged a Buddhist temple, a Catholic school and a Protestant school. It said the number of people killed was six, adding a church employee to the official death toll.

Sources said that security, several local police officers, at the hearing seemed inadequate given the disturbances in previous court sessions. The court's first session was marred when the crowd grabbed Saleh from his guards and beat him up. The second session lead to an attack on the prosecutor's office.

Sources said yesterday that "although it is calm, most of the shops in Situbondo are still closed."

The media in Surabaya have reportedly been terrorized by mysterious callers asking why they did not publish the riot story yesterday.

Indonesia's 200 million population on its 17,500 islands is more than 85 percent Moslem, but the state ideology preaches religious tolerance and recognizes five main religions. (27/15/swe)