Thai tragedy has nothing to do with religion: NU

Thai tragedy has nothing to do with religion: NU

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) chairman Hasyim Muzadi met Thailand's
Ambassador to Indonesia, Atchrara Ceriputra, on Tuesday to
discuss last week's tragedy in her country that resulted in the
deaths of 85 Muslim rioters, and later said the bloodshed had
nothing to do with religious sentiment.

Hasyim made the statement following reports that a group of
Islamists in Surakarta, Central Java, were actively searching out
and trying to harass non-Muslim Thai citizens to get revenge for
the deaths of fellow Muslims in southern Thailand.

Ceriputra, however, said the harassment of Thai expatriates
was just a rumor and that her embassy had not yet received any
reports of such incidents.

After a closed door meeting with Ceriputra at the NU
headquarters in Kramat Raya, Central Jakarta, Hasyim urged
Indonesian Muslims not to be narrow-minded in their responses to
the tragedy and asked them to help Thailand find a solution to
the problem.

The 85 deaths took place on Oct. 25 after a protest by some
3,000 demonstrators from the Muslim south of predominantly
Buddhist Thailand. At least 1,300 were rounded up and packed into
four military trucks. Six of the 85 dead were killed by gunshot
wounds in the rowdy protest, while the rest suffocated in the
back of the trucks.

Hasyim said that during the meeting he had asked Ceriputra a
number of questions, including whether her government considered
the protesters to be part of an armed separatist group.

"The ambassador told me that the Thai government had never
viewed the unarmed protesters as being part of a separatist
group. However, she admitted that violence had frequently erupted
there," he added.

The leader of the 40 million-strong NU said Ceriputra had
assured him that her government would be better prepared to
handle similar demonstrations in the future.

"Indeed, the Thailand case shows us that all countries in
Southeast Asia must protect minority groups," Hasyim said during
a press conference with Ceriputra after the meeting.

He said that in an effort to increase religious brotherhood
among Thais and Indonesians, the NU would invite Thai Muslim and
Buddhist leaders to its national leadership congress to be held
from Nov. 29 to Dec. 3 in Surakarta.

The guests would be given a chance during the upcoming forum
to explain the religious situation in Thailand, Hasyim added.

"God willing, the Thai religious leaders will be able to
explain the tragedy to our guests from the International
Conference of Islamic Scholars," Hasyim said.

Ceriputra said the Oct. 25 tragedy in Tak Bai district,
Narathiwat province, followed a series of previous incidents that
started earlier this year after firearms were stolen from the a
military base in the province.

"After that, there were 325 cases of arson, 77 bombing
attempts, 22 attacks on government facilities and 477 assaults,
including drive-by shootings of citizens," said a statement
released by the Thai embassy.

It said that up to Oct. 21, the death toll from the incidents
stood at 264 people, including officials, innocent citizens,
judges and monks, with 397 people injured.

The Thai tragedy, blamed on a military crackdown, drew
widespread condemnation from other countries, including
Indonesia.

The Thai embassy has issued a warning to its approximately
500,000 citizens in Indonesia to be on alert against possible
harassment of them by hard-line groups.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has asked the police to
provide additional protection for Thai nationals and to take
resolute action against any Indonesians threatening them in
connection with the recent bloodshed in Thailand.