Minister To Receive Tolikara Incident Fact Finding Team In Papua

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin along with military commander General Gatot Nurmantyo and the National Police chief General Badrodin Haiti are expected to receive the fact finding team on the Tolikara incident in Papua soon.

"In accordance with the schedule, the Religious Affairs Minister, the military (TNI) chief and the National Police chief will receive the seven-member fact finding team (TPF) respectively at 09.00 a.m., at 01.00 p.m. and 03.00 p.m. local time in Papua," spokesman for the Ummah Committee for Tolikara in Papua  Mustofa B. said here on Tuesday.

The TPF which was led by a Muslim cleric Fadlan Garamatan left Jakarta for Papua on Tuesday mid night, Garamatan stated.

Fadlan Garamatan is a preaching figure who already understood the social situation in Papua, while the other six members of the TPF have different backgrounds such as forensic, criminal and the social fields.

He further said that the TPF will be able to clarify confusing information about the incident both for the interests of public and journalists.    

According to information collected by Evangelical Churches and Institutions in Indonesia (PGLII), a number of Muslims were attacked by a group of people from the Evangelical Church in Indonesia (GIDI) while performing Eid prayers on last Friday morning in Tolikara.

Three people were shot and wounded when police tried to stop a mob from attacking Muslims performing their Eid prayers on Friday morning at a mosque in Karubaga, the capital of the Tolikara regency in Papua.

The Directorate General of Criminal Investigation of Papua Police Command has also deployed 12 investigators to assist Tolikara Resort Police Station to solve the case related to the attacks by members of the Evangelical Christians in Indonesia (GIDI) on Muslims performing prayers during Eid and the burning down of kiosks and houses belonging to Muslims.

However, the situation in Tolikara is now conducive, and the government is rebuilding the mosque and kiosks. (WDY)