Two more non-Muslims assaulted in Makassar

Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Makassar

Muslim students in Makassar ignored explicit warnings from police, attacking and severely injuring two non-Muslims on Wednesday.

Tedy Hermanto, 21, and Aris Tandililing, 27, were assaulted by dozens of students from the Indonesian Muslim University, in front of their city campus. The assaults stopped after an assistant to the university rector went into the street and dispersed the students.

Similar assaults occurred on Tuesday when four non-Muslims were severely beaten by the university's students, who were upset by the burning of an Osama bin Laden effigy in the predominantly Christian town of Tondano, Minahasa Regency, in North Sulawesi on Sunday.

Prior to the incident, local police expressed concern over the attacks on Tuesday, saying that such violent acts of intolerance would never happen in the city again.

South Sulawesi Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said here on Wednesday that the police would take action against those involved and would not tolerate any similar incidents occurring in the province.

"I have ordered Makassar Police chief Sr. Comr. Amin Saleh to take strict but measured actions against those involved in the students' acts of searching for and assaulting non-Muslims, because it has caused unrest among residents in the city," he said.

Firman was making a correction to a previous statement responding to the assaults, in which he said that he would hold a meeting with the students to avoid such incidents in the future.

Firman also instructed the local police to closely monitor student activities at other universities to prevent any possible unrest in the city.

"The police will step up security on campuses and will take strict, measured actions against those violating the law," he said.

He warned that security personnel would be ordered to use repressive measures if students ignored their warnings.

"We have held several discussions with students in campuses in the city to explain what actions the police will take when handling such incidents," he said.

Firman said he had also met with the Forum of Religious Leaders to discuss the attacks and steps that have to be taken to avoid further acts of violence.

"I have urged the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) and Muslim leaders to be more proactive in developing communications with Muslim people so that such incidents will never happen again," he said.

Meanwhile, Al Markaz Al Islami Youth Organization chairman Faisal Attamimi condemned the assault of non-Muslims, saying the police must take action against those involved in the incident because it was illegal.

"I want to assert here and now that those who assaulted the non-Muslims do not represent Muslim people in the province," he said in a media conference.

He added that what the Muslim students had done against the non-Muslims had damaged Islam.