Speaking to newsmen during a visit to the Temanggung district police station here Thursday, Achmad Trias Widodo, secretary of Temanggung chapter of the Kaabah Youth Movement (GPK), said his organization had never ordered its members to commit outlawed and violent actions.
Instead, they were ordered to monitor and safeguard the trial of a man accused of religious blasphemy, Antonius Richmond Bawengan (50), on Tuesday, he said.
However, there might have been provocateurs in the field who had instigated the crowds to do violent actions, he said.
Achmad said he came to the police office to check whether or not any GPK member had become a suspect in Tuesday incident.
The incident itself was believed by the Central Java provincial police to have been provoked by misleading information disseminated among the public through short text messages saying that Antonius Richmond Bawengan would get a light sentence from the Tamanggung district court.
Central Java provincial police chief Inspector General Edward Aritonang said the court`s panel of judges had actually sentenced him to five years in jail.
The police had so far detained eight suspects. They were identified as NHY, AS, SD, MY, SE, AK, AZ, and SM.
According to National Police Chief General Timur Pradopo, it had been established that the people involved in Tuesday`s violence had come from outside Temanggung district.
The two churches, a Catholic school complex as well as a number of vehicles had become the target of mob violence following a clash during the court session on the religious blasphemy case.
About the presence of outsiders or non-Temanggung district residents on the day the clash occurred, Achmad said he was not in Temanggung at the time.
"I just received a report that rioting had occurred. At the time, I ordered GPK members keep away from the crowds. Local GPK figures and clerics also did their best to calm down the angry mob," he said.
Achmad said lots of people from outside Temanggung district attended Antonius Richmond Bawengan`s trial on Tuesday. Among them were some GPK representatives from Ambarawa, Magelang, and Semarang.
In response to this incident, Vice President Boediono had ordered National Police Chief General Timur Pradopo to conduct a thorough investigation.(*)
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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
