Forum formed to anticipate unrest in South Sulawesi

Forum formed to anticipate unrest in South Sulawesi

UJUNGPANDANG (JP): A forum encompassing religious leaders and
communities of different faiths was formed in the South Sulawesi
capital on Wednesday to combat the threat of unrest spreading to
the province.

The forum, which plans to target local youths, will organize a
series of activities designed to bring together people of
different religions and create a feeling of harmony. Joint
activities planned include cleaning and renovating mosques,
temples and churches.

Yusuf Kalla, a noted local businessman and Indonesian Ulemas
Council (MUI) executive, said the youth had been targeted because
they were considered the most likely group to become involved in
clashes.

Thousands of refugees have flocked to Ujungpandang in the
aftermath of recent riots in parts of Maluku and Kupang, East
Nusa Tenggara.

Wednesday's meeting, which took place in the Al Markaz Al
Islami mosque, was initiated by the council, the Walubi Buddhist
organization, the Indonesian Communion of Churches, Parisada
Hindu Dharma Indonesia and a representative of the Bishop of
Ujungpandang.

The forum also plans to organize district fora throughout the
province to try to foster a common sense of identity and prevent
further outbreaks of unrest.

The city was tense on Wednesday, with rumors of unrest keeping
many commercial premises closed for the day. Shop-house owners
throughout the city are working to install bars on windows and
fences are being raised higher. Residents have yet to recover
from the shock of an arson attack on one church here shortly
after a wave of migrants returned home to the province in January
in the aftermath of rioting in Kupang.

Ujungpandang military commander Lt. Col. S. Widjarnarko said
he was looking into the rumors.

Meanwhile in Salatiga, Central Java, angry mobs destroyed
around 80 homes on Wednesday. Police chief Lt. Col. Beno Kilapong
said the unrest may have been triggered by a dispute with a
property developer. "Mobs arrived in trucks and set about
destroying homes and looting window sills, roof and ceramic
tiles," he said.

Separately, Antara quoted a Maj. Gen. A.R. Gaffar as saying
that uniformed and plainclothes security personnel had been
deployed on the streets of Medan after rumors circulated that
"hundreds of provocateurs had been sent from Jakarta to stir up
unrest" in the city.

Gaffar, who leads the regional military command responsible
for security in northern Sumatra, said intelligence reports
suggested the provocateurs planned to enter Medan on board two
buses and two pick-up trucks.

From Surabaya, the agency quoted East Java Police chief Maj.
Gen. M. Dayat as saying that policemen would be asked to resign
if they were not prepared to shoot criminals when necessary. Also
on Wednesday, the new Surabaya Police chief Col. Bambang Sutrisno
said that between three and four suspected criminals were shot in
East Java every day.

"We're forced to shoot them when they resist arrest. What is
most annoying is that they almost always wound their victims
first."

"This week around 200 criminals have been shot and
immobilized," he added. (27/har/anr)