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)