Police open investigation of Depok church burning
Police open investigation of Depok church burning
JAKARTA (JP): The police have questioned seven witnesses in
the burning of a Protestant church on Tuesday in Beji, Depok,
south of Jakarta, city police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman
said.
"The witnesses include security guards, residents and the
church officials," Noegroho said on Wednesday.
"I have ordered the Depok Police to tighten security by
conducting a sweep for sharp weapons and firearms.
"Meanwhile, police patrols should also be intensified."
A mob of some 400 unidentified men set fire to the Western
Indonesian Protestant Church of Shalom. The men were believed to
be from outside Depok.
Noegroho also ordered Depok Police chief Lt. Col. Bambang
Widaryatmo to convene a meeting with local religious leaders to
enhance interfaith communication and understanding.
"This is purely a criminal case. Don't tie it to religious
issues," Noegroho said.
He visited the Depok Police Headquarters in the morning but
canceled a planned visit to the church. No explanation was given.
His no-show disappointed the congregation's members after they
waited for more than three hours. They held a service next to the
razed church.
Present were GPIB synod chairman J. Wuwungan and secretary
J.S. Siwalette.
"We came here to calm down the congregation. We must control
our emotions," Wuwungan told The Jakarta Post.
Speculation concerning the attack centered on resentment at
the church's failure to obtain a permit to conduct services.
Congregation secretary Joice Yonggara said the church
submitted all required documents in applying for the permit.
"But I don't understand why the Depok mayoralty left our
application pending."
Noegroho said the Depok mayoralty should have a clear position
on the permit application.
"The mayoralty has to make a decision whether or not to give
permission to the church, which is located in a residential
neighborhood," he said.
Julia said the church's administrators obtained local
residents' approval to organize services at the church, which was
established in 1994.
"We already had residents' approval. The mob wasn't from the
neighborhood," Joice said.
Congregation acting chairwoman L.S. Helling discounted the
possibility that residents were hostile to the church's
activities.
"We donated a security post to the neighborhood as a token of
friendship," she said.
A police officer also believed the mob was not composed of
locals.
"Members of the mob were believed to have been dropped off
from Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, and Sawangan, Bogor," he told
the Post on the condition of anonymity.
The officer acknowledged that police personnel were
outnumbered by the mob which attacked the church from two
directions.
"We were reluctant to shoot at the mob in order to avoid
further unrest," he said. Police fired warning shots but the
action was to no avail.
A group calling itself the Depok Cares Society visited Depok
mayor, Badrul Kamal, on Wednesday to discuss the attack. The
group also visited the local council and met deputy speaker M.
Amien.
"We condemn the burning and demand an immediate investigation
into the case," said the group's spokesman Supriyono in a written
statement.
They also demanded the resignation of Depok councilors, Badrul
and his aides if they were unable to resolve the case. (05)