"We deeply deplore the incident. All parties should have exercised self-restraint and let the case up to the authorities and local government to handle it well," Kalla said.
Medan, North Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Vice President Jusuf Kalla has deplored the Friday evening violence related to ethnicity, religion, race, and inter-group of community in Tanjungbalai, North Sumatra.

After inaugurating North Sumatras new Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) Headquarters here on Saturday, the vice president said all parties should have exercised self-restraint and surrendered completely to the riot to the police and local authorities to resolve it.

"We deeply deplore the incident. All parties should have exercised self-restraint and let the case up to the authorities and local government to handle it well," Kalla said.

The vice president then called on all parties to stay calm exercise self-restraint, because all the problem, if resolved in cool-headed manner, it will not be protracted.

In the meantime, State Intelligence Agency (BIN) Chief Sutiyoso said in Prapat that he was sure the riot in Tanjungbalai would not spread to other regions.

"The riot in Tanjungbalai on Friday evening was spontaneous, and therefore, I am sure it will not spread to other regions," Sutiyoso remarked in Prapat, North Sumatra, on Saturday.

Asked after after opening the Batak Indigenous People Congress and the National Working Meeting of "Punguan Simbolon dahot Boruna" in Prapat, the BIN chief reiterated that the riot would not spread because it had been brought under control.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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