Situbondo slowly returning to normal

By Ainur R. Sophiaan

SITUBONDO, East Java (JP): The town is breathing normally again. The marketplaces, schools and offices that were closed for days after the riots that killed five people here on Oct. 10 are now open again.

"I trust the security personnel will maintain order," said Donny, a textile store owner, who had to close his shop for a week. "I can't keep the shop closed forever."

The chief of the 0828 local military command, Lt. Col. Imam Prawoto, has guaranteed law and order. A day after the attacks on over 20 churches, Catholic schools and public facilities, security personnel were posted in various sections of the predominately Moslem city.

Prawoto also contacted a number of respected ulemas and community leaders, pleading with them to help convince people to refrain from any more violence.

"Praise Allah, the people here have been easily persuaded to unite again. I'm sure we have all learned from the incident," Prawoto said on Saturday. "I've told residents not to be afraid to resume their daily activities."

Students of the Santo Fransiscus Xaverius elementary school, which was burned, now study at the Situbondo Women's Organization building. Children from the burned orphanage are now sheltered in a house belonging to a member of a local church congregation.

A curious thing has happened since the riots. Area residents and shop-owners, even those who are Christians, or of Chinese descent, now display pictures of K.H. R. Kholil on their walls.

Kholil is a son of the late K.H. As'ad Syamsul Arifin, a highly respected ulema, over whose reputation the riots were said to have taken place. As reported, the violence was perpetrated by Moslems who were outraged by what they considered as the lenient punishment demanded against Saleh, a local Moslem standing trial for alleged blasphemy against Islam and for tarnishing the name of K.H. As'ad Syamsul Arifin.

"I hung his picture to show that I sympathize with the young ulema," said Redi, the owner of an electronics shop, who is of Chinese descent.

The 28-year Kholil, better known as Lora Kholil, is a famous ulema in the town and its surrounding areas. He had suggested that the Situbondo District Court postpone Saleh's trial because of the highly sensitive nature of the case and the great potential for trouble.

The head of the court, H. Firman Tanri, however, decided to continue with the third hearing of the trial on Oct. 10, despite the fact that the two previous hearings were marred by small- scale violence. A mob, for instance, had wrecked the prosecutors' office during the second trial session.

Material losses

The authorities have yet to announce the amount of material losses incurred in the riots. And no official announcement has been made as to the whereabouts or condition of Saleh.

Residents of the town located some 160 kilometer east of Surabaya, expressed bewilderment. "We could never have guessed that such an incident could happen here," one said. "This is a small town and it had always been clean and quiet."

The only extraordinary thing that happened before the riots was when a group of farmers from the village of Banongan held a protest against what they called the arbitrary appropriation of their land for development projects.

"Even the demonstration proceeded gently. No violence or vandalism occurred. Everything was orderly, and the farmers obeyed the orders of security personnel to disperse," said Marzuki, whose relative joined the demonstration.

Marzuki looked perplexed when he described the riots. "Thousands of young people moved very fast ... asking others to join them as they went on a rampage," he said.

"There were thousands of people attending the trial. Suddenly, there was chaos," another resident said. "I saw some security personnel became the target of the mob's anger. I saw the personnel take the court's employees and the judges to safety by breaking through the back wall of the courthouse."

"Then, there were some people who shouted that Saleh, who had insulted the Kyai (As'ad Syamsul Arifin) and Islam, was being taken to safety by church workers to a nearby church.

"I could not believe it then. How could Saleh be taken to a church? Saleh was a Moslem who has gone astray. What had he got to do with the church?"

By then, however, the mob had lost all reason and turned on the church and, believing the defendant was hiding inside, set it ablaze. The crowd then went on a further rampage in a frenzy that lasted five hours before the riot was contained by security personnel.

A total of 53 people were reportedly taken into custody and placed at local police stations. No further information on the arrested people was available, but the military said the riot had been planned and the violence instigated.

The chief of the Brawijaya military command, Maj. Gen. Imam Utomo, said on Friday in Surabaya that the authorities had found that there were "commanders of sections" in each of the areas affected by the riots. However, he said he believed the violence was a purely criminal act rather than something born out of religious hatred.

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