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)