N. Sulawesi villagers attack store

JAKARTA (JP): A mob of about 200 villagers ransacked a store in North Sulawesi's Gorontalo regency on Friday after its owner allegedly insulted Islam, a police official said on Saturday.

But Gorontalo police chief Lt. Col. Priya Ismail denied an Antara report that Shangrilla minimarket, owned by a Chinese- Indonesian villager identified as Tommy, was set on fire in Buntulia Selatan in Marisa subdistrict.

"No, it was not burned. The villagers, instead, dragged the goods outside and set them on fire on the street," he told The Jakarta Post by phone from Gorontalo.

Two nearby rest shelters for store employees were damaged by fire, Priya added.

The unrest was purely due to a personal misunderstanding and not religious strife or ethnic hostilities, Priya said.

The store was the only building targeted by the mob but local community elders had vouched for Tommy's family's generosity, he said.

The village is about 200 kilometers from the Gorontalo capital of Limboto. Gorontalo, a predominantly Muslim regency, is about 250 kilometers southwest of the provincial capital of Manado.

Priya said the incident began when Rahman, an employee of state-owned insurance company PT Jiwasraya, visited Tommy's store on Thursday.

He said he overheard a conversation in which Tommy offered a rug to a customer identified as Yantje.

Rahman was offended when he saw the item was actually a prayer mat.

"He later told villagers in a nearby auto shop that their religion had been insulted," Priya said.

Rahman told police the villagers immediately wanted to vent their anger. He said he advised them to consult the subdistrict head.

Priya said a meeting was finally scheduled for the Marisa subdistrict head's house at 3 p.m. on Friday. Participants decided they would visit Tommy's store to seek clarification.

"When they arrived, the mob of about 200 villagers, mostly teenagers, was already dragging goods out of Tommy's store and setting them ablaze."

The community elders, assisted by other villagers, helped quell the unrest by persuading the people to disperse, Priya said.

"It's OK now," he said. "Nobody was hurt."

Priya added police were investigating who incited the crowd to gather at the store as the community elders' meeting was proceeding.

Tommy is in shock and sheltered at the nearby military post, Antara reported on Saturday. In contrast to Priya's report, it said two teenagers were hurt in the incident.

Meanwhile, the news agency reported that peace and order had returned to the Central Sulawesi town of Poso, which last week was rocked by unrest in which several buildings were vandalized and set ablaze.

Poso police chief Lt. Col. Deddy Woeryondono was quoted as attributing the unrest to criminal reasons rather than religious discord.

The riots broke out at dawn on Dec. 26 after a man praying at a local mosque was attacked by three drunken men with a machete. The victim sustained serious injuries.

In Jakarta last November, at least 14 people died and several churches were torched and vandalized after a misunderstanding broke out between residents and hoodlums.

Retaliatory violence later followed in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, and Ujungpandang in South Sulawesi. (aan)