Police probing Maumere riot

Police probing Maumere riot

JAKARTA (JP): Police are still investigating the causes of last week's disturbance in Maumere, on the island of Flores, where one person was killed in rioting last week, Antara reported yesterday.

Several people involved in the riot have already been questioned but none were arrested, Lt. Col. Lalu Budiardja, the chief spokesman of the Nusra Police, told the news agency in Denpasar, Bali.

Nusra's territory covers the East Nusa Tenggara province, where Flores is located, as well as the provinces of Bali, West Nusa Tenggara and East Timor.

Police investigators are looking for the organizers of the incident that caused destruction to Maumere city, Lalu said. "When we find them, we will deal with them in accordance with the law."

The riot on Friday left one person dead and five others injured. Seven police officers also sustained injuries, according to Antara.

The incident was prompted by a trial taking place at the Maumere District Court of a man accused of desecrating the Roman Catholic Church. When news of the government prosecutor's request of 42 months imprisonment -- deemed by many to be too lenient -- reached the streets, a riot broke out shortly thereafter.

Dozens of buildings, the prosecutor's office and residential houses were damaged and cars and motorcycles were set on fire.

Three tense days later, according to the latest reports, Maumere City is slowly returning to normal.

Lt. Col. Lalu appealed to the people in the city to remain calm and not to be easily taken in by false rumors. He also urged them to exercise restraint and to avoid adding to the tension.

Members of the police's mobile brigade were sent from Kupang, capital of East Nusa Tenggara, to Maumere on Saturday to help defuse tension. Police reinforcements also came from Ende and Larantuka, both of which are on Flores island. (emb)