Police to question Doulos chief

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman said on Tuesday he planned to summon the chairman of the burned down Christian-run Doulos Foundation, Royandi Hutasoit, for questioning within one week.

"We intend to question him over the incident, as a witness in the Doulos investigation," Noegroho told reporters at Jakarta Police Headquarters.

"Until now, the investigation has arrested 11 people as main suspects in the arson attack that left one person dead," he said.

Some 300 people, armed with sharp weapons and Molotov cocktails, stormed the foundation complex in Cipayung, East Jakarta, and burned the 2.7-hectare complex to the ground on Wednesday night.

Prior to talk with reporters, Noegroho met a group of eight members of the Indonesian Committee for World Muslim Solidarity (Kisdi), discussing the Doulos matter.

"They just came to remind me that in the course of the investigation I was not to forget about the alleged conversion problem ... that Doulos people had allegedly tried to convert Muslims in the area to Christianity," Noegroho said.

Separately on Tuesday, Governor Sutiyoso said the Doulos incident must be taken as a bitter lesson, teaching that smaller attacks by the general public must not go unpunished.

"We can't let small violations go on, and wait for something larger to happen," Sutiyoso said.

On the matter of the Doulos building permit, the governor said that the city administration was still considering whether it would issue a building permit to the burned down foundation.

The administration had earlier refused to issue a permit to the foundation, which was running a theology institute and a narcotics rehabilitation center, because it had no license.

"The city administration did not delay issuing the permit, but it was the foundation who violated city regulations on land usage," Sutiyoso had said.

Sutiyoso, however, admitted that the incident was a good example of city officials' incompetence.

"The city administration will impose sanctions on the East Jakarta mayoralty for allowing the wrong usage of the building permit."

Earlier on Saturday, the management of the Doulos Foundation pledged to continue their activities despite the city administration's order to cease its operations. (ylt/05)