Christians riot to protest execution of 3 in Indonesia
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Associated Press
September 23, 2006
PALU, Indonesia --
Indonesian authorities appealed for calm after riots that followed the executions Friday of three Roman Catholic militants.
Christian mobs torched cars and government buildings, looted shops and attacked a jail, freeing hundreds of inmates after the early-morning executions of the three men, who faced a firing squad in Palu.
On the island of Flores, the condemned men's birthplace, machete-wielding youths terrorized residents and tore apart the local parliament. Thousands also rallied to protest the executions.
On West Timor, more than 200 inmates escaped after mobs assaulted a jail in Atambua. By midday only 20 prisoners had been recaptured, police said.
Trying to ease the anger in the minority Christian community, Vice President Jusuf Kalla denied that the executions had anything to do with religion.
"It's a matter of the law. These killings were carried out according to our legal process," he told reporters in Jakarta.
Analysts, however, said the event may have cleared the way for the executions of three Muslims convicted in the 2002 Bali bombings. They said the government would have been unwilling to spark public anger by executing the Muslims first.
Fabianus Tibo, 60, Marinus Riwu, 48, and Dominggus da Silva, 42, were convicted of leading a Christian militia that launched a series of attacks in May 2000, including a deadly assault on an Islamic school.
At least 1,000 people from both faiths were killed. Only a few Muslims were ever punished, and none was sentenced to more than 15 years behind bars.
Palu was largely calm later Friday, with police watching as about 1,000 mourners packed St. Maria's Church to take part in a requiem for the executed men.