The Radicals Move to Take Lombok Island

Mob burns 10 churches in Mataram

National News C January 18, 2000

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): Ten churches were either torched or damaged in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, on Monday when a mob ran riot after a gathering to protest sectarian violence in Maluku.

The unrest broke out after 5,000 people grouped in Islamic Solidarity for the Ambonese gathered at an open field in front of the 162 Wirabhakti military headquarters in the main town of Mataram.

The gathering, held to show concern for continuing violence in Maluku, was originally planned as an interfaith meeting.

"A dispute suddenly occurred during the rally and triggered the arson," Udayana Military spokesman Lt. Col. Bambang Budi Lelono said.

By the afternoon it was confirmed that at least four churches -- Immanuel Church, Maria Immaculata Church, Pantekosta Church and another on Jl. Bung Karno -- were razed by fire.

The Panini restaurant, which rioters suspected was used for Christian services, was also set on fire.

A member of the Indonesian Red Cross in Mataram, Lalu Iwan, said that 25 people were injured and taken to Mataram General Hospital.

Udayana Regional Military Commander Maj. Gen. Kiki Syahnakri immediately flew from Bali to Lombok to review the situation.

According to Kiki, 10 churches were either pelted by stones or destroyed by fire. "No fatalities were reported in the fray," he said.

"The riot was triggered by a small number of people. This is evident from the fact that many Muslims were active in protecting their Christian brothers and sisters," Kiki told The Jakarta Post by telephone in the evening.

He added that Catholic families took shelter in a Islamic boarding school and Muslim youths guarded a Catholic hospital to deter attacks.

Kiki said security forces brought the situation under control by the afternoon.

A total of six police and military companies were quickly deployed to quell the unrest. A special cavalry platoon based in Tuban, Bali, was also put on standby.

At least 20 people were detained but it remains unclear what sparked the unrest.

Bambang believed the riot was led by provocateurs, not the demonstrators who came to express concern about Maluku.

Kiki said that people shouted incendiary slogans during the gathering.

There also were reports that flyers urging people to join the mass rally and embark on a holy war in Maluku and North Maluku were circulated in the area beginning on Saturday.

The unrest in Lombok is fueling mounting concerns of sectarian strife spreading from Maluku to other areas.

Last week thousands gathered in Jakarta for a mass rally in which there were calls for a holy war following reports of the killing of Muslims in Maluku and North Maluku.

The sectarian unrest in Maluku has lasted for more than a year. Although primarily limited to Ambon for most of 1999, the violence spread to North Maluku after Christmas, bringing the total number of dead to some 2,000.

Mainly Muslim Lombok also has large Hindu and Christian populations, while neighboring Bali is predominantly Hindu.

Scores of people, including staff of the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) in Lombok, reportedly left for Bali through the port of Ampenan. A source at Mataram airport said flights continued as usual and the last flight departed for Bali with several empty seats.

Residents of Bali feared the riots may spread to their island.

"Lombok is very close to Bali. We also fear that many refugees will throng Bali because it is always considered a safe haven," a local, Ruscitadewi, said. (zen/edt)

One killed in Lombok as violence enters second day

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): At least one man died in Mataram, Lombok, as Monday's religious riots descended into looting sprees on Tuesday.

Udayana Regional Military Commander Maj. Gen. Kiki Syahnakri confirmed the fatality, saying the man was shot on Monday evening as soldiers tried to prevent mobs from looting.

Security personnel had largely succeeded in quelling further attacks on churches and other places of worship on Tuesday, but looting occurred as mobs took advantage of a chaotic situation.

A tense calm had enveloped the usually peaceful island by Tuesday morning, as residents woke up to the sight of destruction in the provincial capital of Mataram.

Later in the afternoon mobs again rampaged, despite calls for peace from religious and community leaders. Witnesses claim houses belonging to Christians were attacked.

In less than three hours about 15 houses and shops had been ransacked. Security personnel were forced to fire tear gas and warning shots to disperse the looters.

By dusk, the city was calm, with few groups seen on the streets.

Security personnel were on guard in the city, while residents were seen at main roads leading to their respective residential areas, protecting them from mob attacks.

The local branch of the Indonesian Red Cross said dozens of people had been injured and were being treated at the Mataram General Hospital.

The riot broke out on Monday, following a gathering to protest the prolonged violence in Maluku.

The crowd later became agitated and went on the rampage. At least 10 churches and places of worship were either torched or damaged on Monday.

Over 1,100 people were being sheltered on Tuesday by the military at either Gebang Naval Headquarters or Rembiga Air Force base in Mataram.

"They want to go home but they are terrified as mobs are still sweeping the road to Lembar Port. The people badly need food and mattresses here," Maj. Winaryanto of the 162 Wirabhakti Military Command told journalists.

People also thronged Selaparang Airport to flee the island. Tuesday's seven Merpati Nusantara Airlines flights from Mataram to Denpasar were fully booked.

Antara reported police had to release 15 alleged rioters on Tuesday, following negotiations between Mataram Mayor HM Ruslan, local legislator Abdul Manan and an unidentified group of men.

The 15 people were caught red-handed torching a church on Monday.

National Police chief Lt. Gen. Roesdihardjo in Semarang, Central Java, ordered his men on Tuesday to take resolute action against the rioters. "This is serious," he asserted.

Meanwhile, Chief of the 163/Wirasatya Military Command Col. Nurdin Zainal overseeing neighboring Bali said that preventative steps were being taken to ensure that riots did not spread to the holiday island.

"I've ordered all military district chiefs to monitor areas prone to religious conflicts such as Karangasem, Jembrana and Buleleng, as those area have a mix of Christians and Muslims".

Separately, National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Erald Dotulong said that at least 200 officers from the Police Brigade unit, 100 marine officers, and 100 officers of the Strategic Army Reserves Command (Kostrad), had been sent from Malang, East Java, and Jakarta to Mataram on Tuesday afternoon.

"There are currently 400 police officers and 200 military officers trying very hard to secure the area. We hope the armed reinforcements will be of some help," Erald told The Jakarta Post. (har/zen/edt/ylt)

04/25/2000