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)