Places of worship vandalized in Kupang

JAKARTA (JP): Six mosques were burned or vandalized by a group of people in Kupang, the capital of East Nusa Tenggara, in apparent retaliation for the burning of churches in the Ketapang area of Jakarta on Nov. 22.

There were no reports of casualties, but several buildings were destroyed during the rampage.

East Nusa Tenggara Governor Piet A. Tallo quickly condemned the violence, as did local and national religious leaders.

"I regret and apologize for the incident. I call on the local authorities to probe the case and to make sure that it will not happen again," Kupang Archbishop Petrus Turang said in Jakarta.

"This is very regrettable," the chairman of the Indonesian Council of Churches Sularso Sopater said.

The incident began initially as a gathering of local people to protest the burning and vandalization of around two dozen churches in Jakarta last month.

Governor Tallo said that the people of Kupang, who are predominantly Christian, had no right to use the Ketapang incident as an excuse to burn mosques.

"I regret and condemn the destruction of houses of worship. There will be a thorough investigation... the government will rebuild all the burned and damaged mosques," Tallo said in an interview with private TV station RCTI.

Antara reported that the mob burned three mosques, a haj dormitory house and a market. They also vandalized three mosques, the residence of a local imam, an Islamic school, four cars and a restaurant. The news agency reported that riot troops were helplessly outnumbered during the rampage.

According to residents, Kupang remained tense on Monday night. (prb/edt)