REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Coordinating Minister for Law, Security and Political Affairs Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno said he has warned all related agencies against possible effects of the Tolikara incident.
"I have sent circular to the home affairs minister, religious affairs minister, the military (TNI) chief, police chief and head of the national intelligence agency (BIN) to protect houses of worships, public facilities and national vital objects," Tedjo said here on Tuesday.
His statement came after report of attempts to set churches on fire in Purworejo in Central Java and Bantul, Yogyakarta, believed to be triggered by the Tolikara incident.
The minister said he also passed instruction from President Joko Widodo to maintain peace and prevent the effect of the Tolikara incident from spreading to other regions in the country.
According to information collected by Evangelical Churches and Institutions in Indonesia (PGLII), a number of Muslims were attacked by a group of people from the Evangelical Church in Indonesia (GIDI) while performing Eid prayers on last Friday morning in Tolikara.
Three people were shot and wounded when police tried to stop a mob from attacking Muslims performing their Eid prayers on Friday morning at a mosque in Karubaga, the capital of the Tolikara regency in Papua.
The Directorate General of Criminal Investigation of Papua Police Command has also deployed 12 investigators to assist Tolikara Resort Police Station to solve the case related to the attacks by members of the Evangelical Christians in Indonesia (GIDI) on Muslims performing prayers during Eid and the burning down of kiosks and houses belonging to Muslims.
However, the situation in Tolikara is now conducive, and the government is rebuilding the mosque and kiosks.
On Monday it was reported that the door of a church of the Gereja Kristen Jawa Tlepok in Purworejo was set on fire.
Preacher Ibnu Prabowo of the church said they also found a piece of paper with written threat.
Police that came to investigate the incident also found a piece of paper with similar message and wooden matches in the location.
In Bantul, a church of Gereja Baptis Indonesia was set on fire by four unknown people.
Police are still investigating the two incidents.
Central Java police spokesman Sr. Comr. Liliek Darmanto said here on Tuesday, police in Central Java have been alerted, adding measures were tightened for the security of houses of worship.
Meanwhile in Timika Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa said house shops burned down during Ied-ul-fitr incident in Karubaga, Tolikara regency would be rebuilt in new location in the district.
New kiosks and house shops would be built near the complex of the regency office in the district, the minister said in Timika on Tuesday.
She said the new location would be more strategic, adding based on the master plan of the district administration, the location would be made a trade center.
The place would be safer as there would be police security post there, she said.
She said the 63 units of house shops or kiosks burned down in the incident were owned by not only Muslims but also people of other faiths, Papuans and migrants from Toraja and Java.
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