February 10, 2005
Thursday
 
 
       
       
 

Riot breaks out in eastern Indonesian province

JAKARTA (dpa) - A riot broke out in the eastern Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara on Wednesday, with crowds of angry Christians attacking two police stations and torching one of them, news reports said.

The vandalism took place after church goers became angry at a man who committed unspecified disrespectful acts during a religious mass at the Imaculata Cathedral Catholic Church in Atambua district town of Belu in East Nusa Tenggara province.

The church goers were further enraged when local police brought the man to a nearby police station for questioning.

According to the report on the Detik.com online news service, the Christians wanted the man be released from police custody to face justice by the mob.

When police refused to release the alleged perpetrator, the angry Christians went on a rampage, attacking two police stations and setting one of them on fire, the report said.

Several clashes took place between police officers and the angry residents, but there were no immediate reports of injuries, a Catholic priest told the Jakarta-based Elshinta private radio station. The station said local Catholic priest Anton Pain Ratu appealed to the angry people to stop commiting vandalism. He said the man, believed to be a member of a rival religious group, was undergoing questioning to determine his motive for disrupting church services.

Local police, backed by army troops, were deployed to guard strategic points in the area to prevent further rioting.

East Nusa Tenggaras Kupang military chief Colonel Muswarno Musanip said the riot broke out spontaneously after residents became enraged at the man's actions.

 
   
 
   
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