WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
Office of Communication
150 route de Ferney, P.O. Box 2100, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
E-mail: ka@wcc-coe.org
Press Update
11 December 2001
WCC alerts UNHCHR to increasing sectarian violence in
Indonesia
In a letter sent today to Mary Robinson, United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Konrad
Raiser raised concerns about increasing sectarian violence in Central Sulawesi,
Indonesia. Reporting on the destruction of homes and churches and displacement of
people, the WCC urges Mrs Robinson to call upon the government of Indonesia "to
pay serious attention to the sectarian violence taking place in Sulawesi before it
degenerates into another situation such as that of the Mulukas".
The text of the letter follows:
The World Council of Churches has received with concern reports from its member
churches in Indonesia as well as from other parts of the world about the increase in
the level of sectarian violence in Central Sulawesi and Indonesia. This has resulted in
grave and serious human rights violations. The violence is likely to further increase if
immediate steps are not taken to bring the situation under control.
In Poso during the last week of November 2001, 600 houses and 6 churches were
burned; 1500 Christians were forced to flee the city in search of security. Since the
beginning of December, another 21 Christian villages and 5 churches have been
destroyed in Poso. The Christians living in the area have fled Poso and sought shelter
in Tentena - the headquarters of the Christian Church in Central Sulawesi (GKST).
The attacks resulting in destruction of property and displacement of people were
carried out by the forces of the Laskar Jihad that came largely from East Java. The
groups were armed with rocket launchers and automatic weapons. They have
presently surrounded Tentena, cutting off essential supplies to the region.
The church leaders in Sulawesi have repeatedly appealed to the central government in
Jakarta to save them from these attacks that are being organized and carried out by
the Laskar Jihad. To this date the government has not responded to their appeals, nor
has it taken adequate measures to ensure their security and prevent further violations
of human rights.
We therefore urge you to call upon the Indonesian government: to pay serious
attention to the sectarian violence taking place in Sulawesi before it degenerates into
another situation such as that of the Mulukas; to ensure the safety of the people of
Sulawesi; to ensure that perpetrators responsible for the acts of violence are brought
to justice; and further to take necessary steps to disarm private armed groups such
as the Laskar Jihad.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
For more information contact:
Karin Achtelstetter, Media Relations Officer
tel.: (+41 22) 791 6153 (office);
e-mail: ka@wcc-coe.org
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 337, in more than 100
countries in all continents from virtually all Christian traditions. The Roman Catholic
Church is not a member church but works cooperatively with the WCC. The highest
governing body is the assembly, which meets approximately every seven years. The
WCC was formally inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its staff is headed
by general secretary Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany.
X-URL: http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/news/press/01/44pu.html
|
