Unrest blamed on Soeharto's supporters

Unrest blamed on Soeharto's supporters

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono said on
Thursday he believed a series of riots and disturbances plaguing
the country were linked to supporters of former president
Soeharto.

Juwono said after a commemoration of the birth of state
ideology Pancasila that "the New Order people" were stirring up
trouble in a bid to shake the government of President Abdurrahman
Wahid.

"These incidents were to anger and confuse Gus Dur, but Gus
Dur will remain strong, and he said he would fight every attempt
at such," Juwono told reporters, referring to Abdurrahman by his
popular nickname.

Asked whether he thought followers of Soeharto were behind the
attacks, Juwono said: "Yes, and based on the information which I
have received from military intelligence sources, these people
are in Jakarta."

At least 47 people were injured on Sunday when a bomb exploded
in a church in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra. Bombs were
also found at two other churches and on a road linking Medan and
Deli Serdang.

The bombs have raised fears that "provocateurs", who have
often been blamed for inciting violence in the country, were
trying to ignite sectarian riots similar to the Muslim-Christian
conflict that has ravaged Maluku since early 1999.

Violence in Maluku has flared up again with dozens killed in
attacks on mostly Christian villages on the remote island of
Halmahera.

On Thursday, at least three people were wounded when security
personnel dispersed an armed group trying to force their way into
the predominantly Christian area of Pohon Pule near the Trikora
Monument and Sedap Malam and Anthony Rhebok streets.

Sounds of gunfire and explosions were heard until 6:30 p.m.
local time, but they ceased when a heavy downpour began.

Roadblocks were seen in almost every corner of town in an
attempt to avoid recurring attacks from both sides of the warring
camps.

Tension in the region has been fanned by the arrival of more
than 2,000 Muslim volunteers from a group which has vowed a jihad
in Maluku.

Juwono said he had information that followers of Soeharto were
helping fund the jihad fighters.

The 78-year-old Soeharto is under house arrest and Attorney
General Marzuki Darusman said he expects to bring a corruption
case against the former ruler by August.

Meanwhile in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar, at least
three people were seriously injured on Thursday after a group of
unidentified people began stopping vehicles in front of the
campus of the Indonesian Muslim University (UMI).

UMI's chancellor Mansyur Ramli said, however, that he still
could not confirm if the sweeps were conducted by his students.

Police and hospital sources said at least 16 people, mostly
Christians, had been injured in a series of sweeps in the city
since Tuesday. They were attacked in retaliation for the ongoing
sectarian violence in the Central Sulawesi town of Poso, police
said.

Chief of Panakkukang subdistrict Capt. Marjuki said Thursday's
incident started at about noon and a team of security personnel
were dispatched to the area to prevent the violence from
spreading.

Police also said a 17-year-old boy was arrested on Thursday
after he was found with a molotov cocktail near Makassar's Grand
Mosque. (27/49/edt/byg)