"The President strongly condemned the anarchy and destruction of houses of prayers and facilities in Temanggung," Coordinating Minister for Political, Security and Legal Affairs said to newsmen at the official residence of the governor of East Nusa Tenggara on the sidelines of the President`s visit to the region on Tuesday.
He said the head of state had instructed the police in Central Java to find the perpetrators and prosecute them.
The President had also ordered all state apparatus including the regional administrations, the police and the military (TNI) to actively detect potentials for violent incidents to prevent them from happening and claiming lives.
"Conduct early detection and in case an incident occurs act firmly and quickly," Djoko said.
The President said all state apparatus must carry out their duties well according to their authority especially to prevent violences in their respective regions.
On the same occasion the chairman of the House of Representatives`s Legal Affairs Commission, Benny K Harman, said the House of Representatives was deeply concerned over the incident in Temanggung and hoped for an immediate investigation into it.
"We from the House of Representatives are very concerned and regretted it and we hope law enforcement officials would immediately take actions and carry out the president`s instructions," he said.
Nine people had been wounded and four of them had to be treated at the hospital following the rioting in Temanggung, according to Djojonegoro regional hospital official Puji Indarti.
Central Java police commander Inspector General Edward Aritonang meanwhile said situation in the city of Temanggung had now been conducive.
He said however that some police officers were
still stationed in several locations to assure security.
Rioting flared up following the prosecutor`s five-year jail term demand for Antonious, a defendant in a blasphemy case, which was considered by some too lenient.
Two churches have been set on fire while another church was vandalized during the rioting.(*)
Editor: Ruslan Burhani
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
