The Jakarta Post, 12/13/2004 5:43:53 PM
Indonesia to increase security at churches over Christmas
JAKARTA (AP): Indonesia will beef up security at churches over Christmas after
unidentified gunmen attacked two houses of worship in Central Sulawesi province,
injuring three people, the government said Monday.
"Police will increase security in cities (that are potentially at risk), especially at
Christmas and New Year's," Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi said.
He said "intelligence operations" would also be stepped up, but gave no more details.
Sunday, gunmen on motorbikes opened fire on two churches as services were being
held in the town of Palu. The attackers also hurled a bomb at one of the buildings.
The attacks underscored the fragile nature of security in the province, which saw
bloody battles between Muslim and Christians in the late 1990s that killed more than
1,000 people.
Large-scale violence has since ended, but there still are sporadic attacks, mostly on
Christian villages and places of worship.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla told reporters Monday that Sunday's shootings were linked
to earlier attacks on churches in the province. He didn't elaborate.
Palu is about 1,600 kilometers northeast of the capital, Jakarta. Unlike most of
Muslim-majority Indonesia, Central Sulawesi's population is evenly divided between
Muslims and Christians. (*)
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