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View all search resultsBlame game begins following Singkil clash
Sanctuary: People taking shelter at a Catholic church in Central Tapanuli, North Sumatra, after fleeing Tuesdayâs sectarian violence await buses that will take them back to their homes in Aceh Singkil, Aceh, on Friday
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Sanctuary:: People taking shelter at a Catholic church in Central Tapanuli, North Sumatra, after fleeing Tuesdayâs sectarian violence await buses that will take them back to their homes in Aceh Singkil, Aceh, on Friday. The refugees were willing to return after the Aceh government guaranteed their security. (JP/Hotli Simanjuntak) (JP/Hotli Simanjuntak)
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span class="caption">Sanctuary: People taking shelter at a Catholic church in Central Tapanuli, North Sumatra, after fleeing Tuesday's sectarian violence await buses that will take them back to their homes in Aceh Singkil, Aceh, on Friday. The refugees were willing to return after the Aceh government guaranteed their security. (JP/Hotli Simanjuntak)
National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti has blamed Aceh Singkil Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Budi Samekto for his failure to prevent a recent attack on a church in the area despite earlier warnings.
Badrodin said on Friday that the police had received intelligence four months ago suggesting a clash between Muslim and Christian communities in the area was likely, but Budi had shrugged off the reports and declined to seek reinforcements from the Aceh provincial police.
'The [Aceh Singkil] Police chief was weak in predicting [the potential clash]. These kinds of problems depend on each police precinct's ability to anticipate a situation.
'That's why I often hear different things when I go to different police precincts; there are those who overestimate and there are those who underestimate the situation,' he told reporters at the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta.
Badrodin said he was evaluating Budi's performance before deciding whether to reprimand him.
On Tuesday, hundreds of people grouped under the Islamic Youth movement attacked Suka Makmur village and burned down the Huria Kristen Indonesia (HKI) church.
One of the perpetrators was shot dead while three others were injured when residents tried to defend the church. The church is among many that the group has opposed.
The incident triggered an exodus of thousands of residents, mostly Christians, leaving to take shelter in neighboring North Sumatra.
According to data from the North Sumatra administration, about 7,000 Aceh Singkil residents have sought refuge in Central Tapanuli and Pakpak Bharat regencies.
The National Police have deployed more personnel from the Aceh Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) and sought assistance from the Indonesian Military (TNI) to improve security and encourage residents to return.
The police have named 10 suspects for alleged vandalism and property damage under the Criminal Code (KUHP). Three have been detained while seven others remain on the run.
The National Police Commission (Kompolnas) said it was puzzled by the Aceh Singkil Police chief's rejection of backup after receiving information on potential religious conflict in the area.
'This is something that we are trying to look into. Did the police force's intelligence unit fail to detect such a potential for conflict or was the [Aceh Singkil] Police chief just too ignorant? There is also the possibility that maybe the clash was actually a systematic attack that was just so well-planned that it could not be detected,' commissioner Hamidah Abdurrahman told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Also on Friday, Aceh Singkil Regent Safriadi Manik visited a Catholic church in Central Tapanuli regency, which has sheltered thousands of his residents who fled in response to Tuesday's church-burning incident.
Safriadi assured the displaced residents that the administration would guarantee their safe return.
'We ask them to come home because the situation at home is already improving. We will guarantee their security, so that all can return home,' he said.
Located in Manduamas district, the church is housing around 3,400 people from several districts in Singkil. Safriadi said his administration would ensure that all non-Muslims in the predominantly Muslim regency could practice their faith through licenses for places of worship in Aceh Singkil.
'In the future, Aceh Singkil regency administration will assist in the process of getting licenses for places of worship, up to the provincial administration level,' he said.
Also on Friday, the Aceh Singkil administration deployed a number of police and military trucks to transport the returning residents.
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