Police nab more arson suspects

Police nab more arson suspects

JAKARTA (JP): Police have arrested two more suspects in
connection with Wednesday night's arson attack on the Christian-
owned building complex in Cipayung, East Jakarta.

Until last night, police, however, claimed to be still in the
dark about the motives of the violent action by the mob against
the Doulos school and rehabilitation center complex.

Jakarta Police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman, who is
facing calls to step down over his failure to stop the maniacal
mob, admitted that the burning of the complex had to do with the
activities of conversion of religion.

Separately, President Abdurrahman Wahid said he was sure the
incident was politically motivated.

"I know that there are political motives behind this," he told
the congregation at the Baiturrahim Mosque located in the
Presidential Palace compound in Central Jakarta after performing
Friday prayers.

As is usual with the President, he did not clarify his words.

With the arrest of the two men, the number of people arrested
for the attack on the complex that houses a school of theology
and drug rehabilitation and psychiatric centers has reached eight
suspects.

But still none of the police officers were willing to identify
the suspects.

"The last two men arrested are the main field coordinators,
who led the burning. The burning had to do with one of two
things: conversion of religion, or a permit (to run the
foundation) problem," Noegroho told reporters on Friday.

"We are still in the dark about the true motives of the arson
attack. We need time to investigate the matter."

Police continued to guard the identities of the suspects and
motives in the attack on the 2.7-hectare site owned by the Doulos
Foundation.

One student died and more than a dozen people were injured
when some 300 people, armed with sharp weapons and Molotov
cocktails, stormed the complex on Wednesday night.

"The arson was well planned," Noegroho said.

The fatality was identified as 31-year-old Sariman, a theology
student from Bantul, Yogyakarta. His body was covered in gash
wounds.

When asked for his comments on the growing demands from the
general public and city councillors for him to leave his post as
Jakarta Police chief, Noegroho said that people must try to
understand the problem that lay behind the burning.

"Whether a permit problem, or a conversion of religion
problem, or any other problem, it was enough to provoke a certain
group of people to burn the complex," Noegroho said.

"If the City Council wants me to resign, that is their
problem, not mine. I cannot bother about their point of view."

Noegroho urged the general public to refrain from preaching
about conversion.

"There has to be a closeness among all religions. A religion
should not be forced upon someone ... Nobody should force or
persuade anybody to convert," he said.

When asked if he was facing a dilemma in finding the answers
to the incident, he said: "I don't think so".

Speaking with the dozens of the people at the mosque, the
President said: "I urge the Jakarta Police to arrest the
wrongdoers and bring them to court. The Jakarta Police chief
reported to me on Thursday that four people had so far been
arrested, so I assure you no more attacks will hit the
minorities."

Separately, South Jakarta police chief Lt. Col. Nono Suprijono
said on Friday that police officers would be deployed, beginning
next week, to secure churches and mosques across the capital.

"If we need backup, we'll ask the military. But, we'll make
sure that every church and mosque receives its share of security,
beginning from Christmas through the Idul Fitri holiday," Nono
told reporters.

Condemnation over the vicious arson attack by the mob against
the Doulos complex continued on Friday.

General secretary of the Indonesian Bible Association (PII)
Reverend Nur Reimas told legislators at the House of
Representatives that the condemnation was directed at the
destruction, which was carried out under the name of a certain
religion.

"Our religion, Christianity, has been accepted worldwide and
several Christians have proven themselves to be heroes of this
nation," Nus said.

"There are several buildings here without proper building
permits, but they were left untouched. We have never led anybody
to enter Christianity. Where is the need to lead a person of
another religion into our religion?"

PII development board member, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Mantiri, a
former Armed Forces (ABRI) chief of territorial affairs, said
that the Indonesian government was too lenient and allowed people
to do as they pleased.

"The government allows such crazy incidents to go
unpunished ... to go on forever, and there is no action against
the crimes," Mantiri said.

"I would personally order the shooting of the criminals if I
were still the chief of territorial affairs. Our security
officers today are afraid that they might commit human rights
violations."

"There is no violation if the act is done to protect the
people."

Antinarcotics foundation, Ridma, said in a statement last
night that widespread narcotics syndicates operating here could
have been behind the attack.

"There is a great possibility that the narcotics mafia were
behind the attack. The mafia are used to committing crimes which
smell of religious and racial hatred," it said. (ylt/prb)