Situbondo slowly returning to normal

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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