Lombok remains tense

Lombok remains tense

MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara (JP): Lombok island remained tense
on Wednesday as sporadic looting and arson continued in Mataram,
despite efforts to quell the unrest which has lasted for three
days.

As of Wednesday afternoon, dozens of houses had been torched
or vandalized by angry mobs.

The situation in Senggigi resort also remained uneasy as two
restaurants, two discotheques and an art gallery lay looted.

The violence has driven over 3,000 residents and foreign
tourists out of the island, most of them to neighboring Bali
island.

National Police Chief Lt. Gen. Rusdihardjo said after a
meeting at the governor's office with local religious and
community leaders in Mataram that stern measures will be taken
against anyone attempting to incite unrest.

"We'll shoot the rioters and looters," he warned.

Police say so far two alleged rioters have been shot dead and
at least 150 people detained.

The identities of the victims are still unknown.

Rusdihardjo also praised the support of local religious
leaders for the police's firm stance.

The clashes began on Monday after 5,000 people gathered to
protest the ongoing violence in Maluku. The gathering, however,
quickly developed into a religiously charged riot and the
participants later attacked churches and other places suspected
of being Christian places of worship.

Rusdihardjo claimed that a "certain group of people outside
the province" were behind the riot. However, when pressed
further, he said police were still collecting information and
that there was currently insufficient evidence to reveal those
allegedly behind the incident.

"The key is that a peaceful gathering suddenly turned violent.
So there must be something wrong here," he said.

West Nusa Tenggara Police chief Col. Sukandri claimed the
situation on the island was gradually returning to normal, but
added that sporadic arson was still likely to occur.

Just minutes after the meeting ended at midday, a house
belonging to an Indonesian of Chinese descent -- located less
than a kilometer away from the venue of the meeting -- was looted
by a mob.

The contents of the house were dragged into the middle of the
street and then torched.

Looting of shops also occurred in the business and commercial
centers of Jl. Erlangga, Jl. RA Kartini and Karang Bedil area,
collectively known as the downtown of Mataram.

Hotel staff, taking every precaution they deemed necessary,
erected signs reading "God is Great" in front of their
establishments.

Lombok island has been touted as a complimentary holiday
destination to its neighbor, the resort island of Bali.

But this week, as a result of the violence, the Japanese and
Australian governments issued warnings against their nationals
visiting the island.

The head of the provincial office of the Ministry of Tourism
and Arts, Jodi S. Soesilo, said there were about 300 foreign
tourists staying in six hotels, namely Hotel Intan, Holiday Inn,
Jayakarta, Senggigi Beach, Novotel and Sheraton Senggigi.

Their nationalities include Australian, British, Dutch,
French, Japanese and American.

"From these 300 foreign tourists, 120 of them have been
evacuated today (Wednesday)," Jodi said.

Many have already left on the only charter boat available to
Bali, the Bounty Cruise.

"We have shuttled over 2,000 passengers from Tuesday night to
Wednesday morning," Gede Wirata, the ship's owner, told The
Jakarta Post by telephone from Denpasar.

Sources at Selaparang Airport in Mataram said it was open 24
hours to serve anxious passengers. Members of the Paskhas Air
Force Special Unit were seen tightly guarding the airport.

There were eight regular flights, 15 chartered aircraft and
two Air Force planes available on Wednesday.

One Australian evacuee, Brendan O'Brien, told ABC radio here
how he fled Lombok's tourist area as mobs trucked into the area
and threw petrol bombs.

"It was very organized," he claimed, adding that he witnessed
violent clashes between "extremists wearing headbands and the
police".

In Jakarta, Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and
Security Gen. Wiranto pledged the government will continue taking
tough measures against those who violate the law.

"But this must run both ways. Do not merely blame security
personnel if law-breaking incidents take place. The people must
also abide by the law," Wiranto said.

Meanwhile, security forces in the East Javanese provincial
capital of Surabaya decided to temporarily ban any activity
involving mass gatherings of people.

Surabaya Police Chief Col. Bambang Sutrisno said several
churches were also being tightly guarded.(nur/zen/edt/prb)