Refugees keep flowing out of Lombok island

Refugees keep flowing out of Lombok island

MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara (JP): There was no letup on Friday
in the exodus of people fleeing the violence in Lombok of the
past week, with most headed to neighboring Bali.

Although peace returned to the island, swirling rumors of
renewed attacks stoked tension. But no incidents were reported by
the evening.

Nine buses carrying hundreds of people left under military
escort from the 742 Army Battalion Headquarters to the Lembar
inter-island ferry port.

About 1,000 others were still trapped in Lembar, waiting for
troops to clear roadblocks of uprooted trees erected by mobs, an
administration official at Padangbai seaport in Bali, I Gusti
Arnawa, was quoted by AFP as saying.

Among those evacuated was German designer Christine
Schumacher, 41, who was assaulted and robbed by a mob as she
vacationed at Gili Meno islet near Senggigi beach on Wednesday.

She sought refuge at West Lombok Police Station and was later
evacuated to Lembar.

More than 5,000 people have left the island since the rioting
broke out on Monday, according to port and airline statistics.

West Nusa Tenggara Police announced on Friday they had
identified four provocateurs from Lombok and three others from
Jakarta. Police spokesman Capt. Agus Sutisna declined to name the
suspects, who are still at large.

"We haven't arrested any of them due to the lack of conclusive
evidence."

He added the security alert status for the area remained in
effect. "In cases of new vandalism, we will take tougher action
against those who break the law."

Provincial police chief Col. Sukandri said the unrest caused
more than Rp 60 billion in losses.

"The unrest was fomented by members of the political elite,
who deliberately sought to stir up a hornet's nest merely because
of their disappointment with the present government," Sukandri
said.

Daily and business activities resumed on Friday.

Friday prayers across the provincial capital mostly conveyed
messages of peace and harmony between people, reminding followers
that destructive actions were against Islamic teachings.

Mosques also announced the amount of donations for victims of
the Maluku sectarian strife, which was collected during Monday's
mass gathering immediately before the violence began.

A total of Rp 8.7 million was donated by Muslims at the
gathering, Rp 8 million collected from the Chinese-Indonesian
community in the town and Rp 5 million from the Udayana Military
Command.

Leaders of Islamic Solidarity for the Ambonese, which
organized Monday's gathering, expressed regret over the rioting,
arson attacks on churches and widespread violence.

"Our wish was purely to help Muslims in Maluku. Had we known
beforehand that the mass gathering would spark unrest, in the
name of Allah we would not have organized it," committee chairman
Zainal Asikim told a media conference.

He said the committee could not be held responsible for
incidents after the gathering.

Zainal and several committee members were earlier questioned
by the police concerning the riots.

When asked about the presence of the chairman of the
Indonesian Muslim Workers Brotherhood (PPMI), Eggy Sudjana, on
the day of the rioting, Zainal said he was unacquainted with him.

Provincial PPMI chief Amriful Hakim, who also spoke at the
conference, said he invited Eggy to address the gathering.

"But it was his fate that he came late. He arrived at 3:30
p.m., hours after the gathering was over. Therefore, he knew
nothing about the unrest," said Amriful in response to rumors
Eggy was involved in fomenting the violence.

Mass prayer

A planned mass prayer by Amfibi, a group of civilian militia
claiming to have 150,000 members, which was scheduled in East
Lombok on Saturday, was canceled on Friday due to fears of
renewed unrest.

"Amfibi has called off the event. We have urged that such
events be held indoors to prevent possible unrest," J. Muhammad
Djuwayni, chief of the Indonesian Mosques Board in East Lombok,
said.

Swirling rumors of more unrest continued to disturb locals.
Residents of Parampuan in Mataram were alarmed on Thursday night
by an unfounded report that two local mosques were burned by
Hindus.

Locals said the story was spread by a man dressed in military
uniform who claimed to be an officer. A large group of people
gathered and threatened to retaliate against the Hindu community.
Security personnel later arrived and dispersed the crowd.

A rumor also spread in Karang Mas village, causing dozens of
Hindus to flee their homes and others to arm themselves against a
possible attack.

"It's not true that any mosques were burned. It was an effort
to pit people against each other. The report was also aimed at
discrediting the military," Agus Sutisna said. (zen/edt)