Recent riots in E. Java blamed on communists

Recent riots in E. Java blamed on communists

JAKARTA (JP): Government officials are blaming the recent
riots in East Java on communist and left-wing activists.

East Java Governor Basofi Soedirman told a meeting with local
ulemas in Surabaya yesterday that the communist role in the
series of riots in the province was obvious because rioters had
burned a temple, a church, mosques and a copy of the holy Koran.

"To an elderly person like me, the recent rioting greatly
resembled that attempted by the Indonesian Communist Party
(PKI)," he said.

"I don't believe that the outbreaks of violence in Bangkalan
and Pasuruan were instigated by Islamic devotees, but by a
movement of left-wing extremists linked with the PKI," Basofi was
quoted by Antara as saying.

Basofi displayed pieces of a burned Koran and a video clip
showing the remnants of buildings gutted by fire, including four
mosques in Sampang on Madura Island.

The province's military commander Maj. Gen. Imam Utomo, police
chief Sumarsono, chief of the provincial prosecutors' office M.A.
Rachman, legislative council chairman Trimarjono, Nahdlatul Ulama
(NU) leader Imron Hamzah and Muhammadiyah chairman Abdurrahim
Noer also attended the meeting.

Indonesia banned the PKI after a failed coup on Sept. 30,
1965, which was blamed on communists.

People rampaged in the predominantly Moslem towns of Jember,
Bangkalan and Pasuruan from Friday until Sunday. Security forces
have said that at least 20 people were injured in the unrest.

The riots extended a list of unrests dating back to sectarian
riots in Situbondo, which killed five people in September last
year.

Basofi said rioters had used various occasions to trigger the
unrest, from soccer matches to the election campaign.

"They will probably try again over the general session of the
People's Consultative Assembly in March next year," Basofi said.

In Bandung, West Java, Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi
Taher said that communists could have caused the riots to
disgrace Moslems, who make up 90 percent of the country's
population of 200 million.

"PKI as a party ended 30 years ago, but its cadres, whose
number then reached 10 million, might not have completely
vanished. Many of the millions of cadres have embraced religions,
but those who want to make another attempt are not few in
number," Tarmizi told a meeting with about one hundred West Java
ulemas.

Tarmizi visited Bandung as part of a post-election tour. He is
scheduled to visit Semarang, Central Java, and Surabaya today. He
said his trip aimed to help Moslems cool down after a full month
of acrimonious election proceedings.

"A third party's role in the riots is obvious. They are eager
to disrepute Moslems in Indonesia who are well-known for their
tolerance and spirit of harmony," said Tarmizi.

Shoot

East Java military commander Maj. Gen. Imam Utomo confirmed in
yesterday's meeting that he had issued a shoot-on-sight order in
case of more riots.

"They (the riots) have gone beyond the limit of religious
people's tolerance. We are declaring war against the rioters who
have wounded security officers, civilians, journalists and
vandalized state buildings," Imam said.

In Jakarta, the United Development Party (PPP) chairman Ismail
Hasan Metareum dismissed allegations that his supporters were
involved in the latest riots.

"People there rampaged for various reasons, but none of them
had anything to do with our disappointment with the election
results," Ismail said yesterday.

It is alleged that angry PPP supporters ran amok in Bangkalan
on Madura island Saturday night during a thanksgiving party to
celebrate the town's success in winning the prestigious Adipura
award for cleanliness.

PPP Bangkalan chief Fuad Amin, a son of the late PPP leader
and legislator Amin Imron, said that Moslems were angered by the
noise from the celebration which took place near the town's grand
mosque.

PPP supporters rampaged earlier in four other towns on Madura
island in protest of alleged vote-rigging in the May 29 election.
The chaos forced an unprecedented revote in 65 polling stations
in Sampang.

Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Robik Mukav said the situation in
Bangkalan had returned to normal Sunday.

"People have been seen jogging and doing their routine
activities since Sunday morning," he said at the Army
headquarters yesterday.

Calling the riot small, Robik told people not to worry about
further rioting. (amd/imn)