Rights commission says beware of malicious issues

JAKARTA (JP): The National Human Rights Commission has warned that distorted issues were being circulated by irresponsible people to incite confusion and discord in the community.

Commission Secretary, Baharudin Lopa, said in Dili, East Timor, that he noticed a recent tendency in members of the community to exaggerate and circulate contentious topics.

He said earlier this week communities throughout the country were easily incited to violent measures in response to rumors.

"There's a tendency of trying to divide and incite people in the community through deceitful issues. It's quite evident in the incidents which have been occurring lately," said Lopa as quoted by Antara.

He pointed to recent mob outbreaks which he believes were sparked by particular issues and rumors spreading among the people.

Lopa deplored the fact that people resorted to brutal measures before confirming rumors. Innocent bystanders often become victims as a result, he said.

"Apparently there are still people in this country who like spreading malicious rumors," he remarked.

Though Lopa did not specify incidents, parts of the country have been rocked recently by limited but violent episodes of mob frenzy stemming from religious or ethnic issues.

A fortnight ago the quiet town of Situbondo, East Java, was hit by a religious riot which saw a dozen churches burned down.

Dili was rocked a few days ago by a stabbing incident between a local trader and his migrant competitor.

Lopa said his visit to East Timor had nothing to do with the latest incident, but he stressed the need for local government to anticipate and quell the rise of insidious rumors which may destabilize the harmony and unity of the people.

Lopa said his visit was to inspect the running of the recently opened branch of the Commission in Dili. He was accompanied by fellow Commission members Clementino dos Reis Amaral and A.A. Baramuli.

"The working visit is to see what has been done by the office here and how far they have progressed in implementing the set programs. We also want to see what obstacles the office here face," Lopa explained.

When asked if the Commission would be looking into the fracas following the stabbing, Lopa said the Commission would only do so at the community's request. So far there has been no request.

He said the incident was being handled by police and the Commission would not intervene into the affairs of another department unless there were calls to do so, or a blatant violation of human rights.

"If there is such a report the Commission will act on it accordingly," he said. (mds)