Jakartans told to work for religious harmony

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman urged city residents on Wednesday to work together for religious harmony and not resort to violent means to end disputes.

"Any religion should not be used as a reason for inciting chaos and destruction, anywhere in the capital or outside.

"I urge all city residents to stop burning and hurting people in the name of religion. It causes us great pain to see what is happening to this capital," Noegroho said on the sidelines of a formal meeting with Muslim religious leaders at Jakarta Police Headquarters.

He was referring to widespread vandalism in Bekasi, some 30 kilometers east of Jakarta, on Tuesday night, which began when about 500 Bekasi residents set a house on fire. The house owner claimed to be a prophet.

The unrest spread and Bekasi Police were stretched in controlling thousands of residents who rampaged on Tuesday night, setting fire to buildings in three different areas of Bekasi, the city police spokesman said.

Lt. Col. Zainuri Lubis said on Wednesday that the public should not assume the police would be lenient in handling unrest.

"If we have to implement discipline, even if things are at their worst, we will. We plan to take the strictest measures possible if such occurrences are repeated again."

At about 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, some 500 people set fire to the home of Fianus Edi, 53, in Srengseng village, Sukamulya, in Suka Tani, Bekasi.

"The local residents became angry when Fianus went around telling people that he was a Rasul (prophet). So they burned his home down. Losses are estimated at Rp 300 million (US$42,860)," Zainuri said.

An hour later, some 3,000 local residents set fire to a hotel and three motorcycles, as well as vandalizing 18 foodstalls on Jl. Citarik Raya, which straddles Bekasi and Karawang regency.

"It took three fire engines to put out the fire. There were no casualties. The local residents got angry as they suspected that the 18 foodstalls and Hotel Sukarat were fronts for prostitution," Zainuri said.

At about 11 p.m., some 1,000 local residents in Lemah Abang subdistrict, Bekasi, burned four food stalls and vandalized three others which they believed were places of prostitution.

The vandalism occurred on Jl. Raya Lemah Abang in Tanjung Baru village, Lemah Abang.

"Local residents felt they had protested long enough. So they just burned the place," Zainuri said. (ylt)