Pasuruan gradually returns to normal after violence

Pasuruan gradually returns to normal after violence

SURABAYA (JP): As many as 150 people were reported missing in
the town of Pasuruan on Thursday as life gradually returned to
normal following an interfaith meeting between senior local
ulemas and Christian clergymen on Wednesday evening.

Respected ulemas from Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), including KH Mas
Subadar, KH Mujib Imron, KH Abdul Halim and KH Zainuri, and
clergymen agreed to join hands to stop all violence and mass
rallies.

"No more mass rallies," the chief of the Pasuruan chapter of
Banser (the NU's civilian militia), Masyhudi Nawawan, said.

He said that Banser had conducted a survey after the three
days of unrest and found that 150 persons who had taken part in
the street protests had yet to return home as of Thursday.

"That number does not include 47 people detained by the police
for incitement. Many people have made reports to the Truth
Defenders' post (managed by Banser) that their relatives haven't
shown up since Monday," Masyhudi said. "We are working together
with the police to find them."

Thousands of East Java people have joined pro-Abdurrahman
demonstrations in Jakarta, and some of the 150 people who
"disappeared" from Pasuruan are presumed to be among those
protesters.

Many shops had opened again for business on Thursday, but some
government offices were still closed. Pasuruan Regent Dede Angga
said, however, that public services in his office were back to
normal.

"Many civil servants are still afraid of fresh violence. I'm
sure next week everything will return to normal," he added.

Other towns in East Java, including Banyuwangi, Gresik,
Bondowoso, Situbondo, Sidoardjo, Surabaya and Malang were also
reported to be less tense on Thursday.

Most East Java towns are strongholds of Nahdlatul Ulama, the
country's largest Muslim organization which Abdurrahman Wahid
chaired for 15 years before being elected President.

Violence erupted in several towns in East Java, but Pasuruan
was the worst hit with one church being torched and two others
vandalized on Monday and Tuesday.

Popular anger in the town came to a head after the issuance by
President Abdurrahman of his controversial executive order, or
Maklumat, on Monday.

The peak of the clashes between the protesters and the
security forces in Pasuruan came when a local was shot dead by
police on Wednesday.

Ali Maschan Moesa, chairman of the East Java chapter of the
NU, said that his organization had instructed all its members and
supporters to maintain security and order by abstaining from all
forms of violence.

"I earlier warned the politicians in Jakarta not to engage in
political shenanigans or the people at the grassroots level will
get angry."

Demonstrations

While East Java was reported calmer, demonstrations continued
to take place in other parts of the country.

In the West Java capital of Bandung, a group of students
grouped in Anti-New Order National Coalition staged a protest at
the provincial legislative building, demanding the dissolution of
the Golkar Party.

"Golkar must be disbanded now or the future of the country
will become even more uncertain," one demonstrator said in his
speech.

They dispersed peacefully after legislators refused to meet
them.

In Makassar, South Sulawesi, a group of around 100 students
staged a mass prayer in front of the Muhammadiyah University
campus on Jl. Sultan Alaudin giving thanks for the "successful"
House of Representatives (DPR) plenary session.

The House plenary session on Wednesday recommended that the
People's Consultative Assembly convene a special session to hold
the President to account.

The students thanked God that all the members of the House had
been saved from danger during the plenary session.

In their speeches the students urged the public to trust their
representatives in the House and "stop using violence in
politics."

Another group of 500 students in Padang, West Sumatra,
welcomed the House's call for an MPR special session.

The students, grouped in the West Sumatra Students' Alliance,
stormed the gubernatorial office demanding that President
Abdurrahman step down soon.

Doni Sofyan, the students' spokesman, said that the House's
decision was the best course for the country. (25/27/28/ylt/sur)