Mob burns down courthouse after priest sentenced

Mob burns down courthouse after priest sentenced

Jemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara

Thousands of local residents set ablaze a district courthouse on
Flores Island on Saturday, shortly after a judge declared guilty
a local Catholic leader in a defamation case.

The angry mob also set fire to several buildings belonging to
the Larantuka Prosecutor's Office. No fatalities were reported in
the incident.

The incident began when thousands of residents of Larantuka,
the capital of the predominantly Catholic East Flores regency,
attended a trial against Father Frans Amanuen, a local
charismatic priest.

Amanuen was taken to court after he accused Felix Fernandez,
East Flores regent, of being involved in marking up the price of
a multipurpose boat, which was purchased for the local
government. The boat is said to be worth Rp 3 billion
(US$352,941).

In a local publication, Amanuen lashed out at the regent,
saying that the regent had only enriched himself in the purchase
of the boat.

Regent Felix Fernandez expressed his displeasure over comments
made by the Catholic priest, and sued the outspoken priest for
libel.

Presiding judge I Wayan Suparta sentenced the priest to two
months' imprisonment and five months' probation. This means
Amanuen will remain free unless he commits a crime within the
five-month probationary period.

His supporters, however, were angered by the verdict, and went
on a rampage.

"(His supporters) were calm during the court session, but
became violent after the judge handed down the sentence to Father
Amanuen," East Nusa Tenggara Police chief Brig. Gen. Edward
Aritonang told The Jakarta Post.

The angry mob quickly set ablaze the courthouse and also
buildings of the prosecutor's office.

"The court was completely engulfed by the fire," Ersa Wowor, a
local resident, was quoted as saying by DPA news agency.

The dozens of police guarding the trial were unable to block
the mob from setting the court on fire, and so moved to protect
the judges and prosecutors.

Aritonang said the provincial police force had immediately
deployed reinforcements to the area to keep the incident from
escalating.

Similar cases of arson involving courts have occurred in
Indonesia, including a 1985 case in Lubuk Pakam, Sumatra.
However, the attack in Larantuka is thought to have greater
repercussions as it has sectarian implications.

Larantuka was last rocked by sectarian violence in 1995, when
an angry mob killed Taman, 47, a resident of Banyuwangi, East
Java, at the Reinha Rosario Cathedral. Taman, who was a
Protestant, was accused of insulting the church during a sermon.

According to the 2000 census by the Central Statistics Agency,
154,903 out of the 199,586-strong population of East Flores are
Catholic.

As of Saturday, police were still standing guard at vital
government facilities, including the residence of regent Felix
Fernandez.