ANTARA, 7 March 2007
Maluku religious figures condemn Ambon port bombing
Ambon (ANTARA News) - Religious figures in Maluku have strongly condemned last
Saturday's terror bombing at the gate of Ambon's Jos Sudarso seaport which injured
13 people saying the incident could affect the local security conditions which were
actually already becoming increasingly conducive.
"We very much regret the incident and truly condemn it because it can affect the
security conditions in Maluku which have been becoming increasingly conducive,"
Idrus Toekan, chairman of the Maluku chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI)
said here Tuesday.
The act of terror could have a wide impact on the serenity of the local people's life and
inter-religious harmony which had so far been developing well, and obstruct the
development process to overcome the consequences of the past conflict in Maluku,
he said.
The act of terror would also scare away prospective foreign and domestic investors
whereas the provincial administration had been constantly doing its best to create a
secure and conducive investment climate.
Maluku's MUI therefore was appealing to the public to remain calm and go about their
normal activities as usual and not to allow themselves to be provoked by irresponsible
elements.
The public was asked to leave the handling of the incident to the security agencies
which were already doing their job of trying to find the perpetrators and bring them to
justice.
"We also ask the security agencies to remain alert to all eventualities so that this act
of terror does not recur," Toekan said.
In a similar vein, Rev Dr John Ruhulesin, the chairman of the executive body of the
Synod of the Maluku Protestant Church (GPM), asked the public not to be carried
away by their emotions in reacting to the incident lest the settlement of the affair
become more complicated.
He called on the entire religious community to maintain their internal resilience as well
as the general public's resilience and not to be provoked by the incident.
Ruhulesin said the public's resilience was stlll very strong and they had become
smarter in evaluating the situation as evident from the fact that they were continuing to
conduct their normal activities despite the bombing.
On the other hand, the bombing is a warning to the security agencies not to lose their
guard in the increasingly conducive security situation. The security agencies should
also act quickly to solve the case and bring its mastermind to justice." he said.
The GPM Synod, the MUI of Maluku and Amboina Bishopric have so far been
continuously calling on their respective faithfuls to maintain inter-religious harmony in
the spirit of the traditional principle of communal fraternity known as "Pela Gandong"
so as to achieve true communal bortherhood. (*)
COPYRIGHT © 2007 ANTARA
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