Official slanders Tana Toraja girls

Official slanders Tana Toraja girls

UJUNGPANDANG (JP): An official who had been absent without
leave for eight months returned to work last week only to rock
the boat by alleging that "96 percent" of Tana Toraja's high
school students have lost their virginity to foreign tourists.

About 2,500 students from Tana Toraja took to the street in
this South Sulawesi capital yesterday, demanding that Karimuddin,
an official at the local religious affairs office, be punished.

In a statement reported by the Jakarta-based daily Pelita,
Karimuddin alleged that Tana Toraja school girls like messing
around with foreign tourists.

"Karimuddin has insulted us from Tana Toraja. We are
offended ... he has trampled on our pride," a spokesman for the
protesters Haris Runda told provincial councilors who met them.

The official's remarks also infuriated Jacobus Camarlow, a
councilor from Tana Toraja. He charged that Karimuddin has
tarnished the Tana Toraja community's reputation.

The comment that Karimuddin made, without a prior survey, and
the heat that it has generated have sent a chill down the
Ujungpandang mayor's spine.

"His comment reflects his personal view, not the government's,"
Malik B. Masry told The Jakarta Post. "I repeat, it's his personal
view."

The South Sulawesi governor also wanted to defuse a fracas
that started to brew barely a month after three students were
killed in a massive demonstration in the city.

He supported the calls to bring Karimuddin to court. (20/pan)