Tension rife as residents oppose Ba'asyir's visit

JAKARTA: Tension was rife in Kaujon village, in the Banten city of Serang early on Sunday, as dozens of local residents rallied to oppose the visit of hard-line Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.

The crowd besieged the house of local resident Mamad Suhaemi, where Ba'asyir stayed during his last trip to the province, saying his presence had sparked anxiety. A fight almost broke out between one of the protesters, local legislative council member Lukman Hakim, with Ba'asyir's followers of the Jamaah Anshorut Tauhid group, Antara state news agency reported.

Ba'asyir refused to bow to public pressure, saying local residents had no legitimate grounds to expel him.

"I am here for a get-together and to deliver a sermon during a mass prayer. I'm not a terrorist," Ba'asyir told the crowd.

The mass dispersed after Ba'asyir told them he would leave Serang immediately after the mass prayer was over. - JP