The wRap Indonesia: Dec. 24, 2014

JAKARTA, Indonesia – A worrying report on religious intolerance and police preparations ahead of Christmas and New Year lead our wrap of stories from Indonesia today. 

1. Reports of religious intolerance nearly double: Komnas HAM

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) said on Tursday, December 23, it has received 67 reports of cases of religious intolerance in Indonesia this year – almost double last year’s figure. “There were 30 reports about the closure or vandalism of churches or the rejection of new churches; 22 reports of discrimination, threats and violence against believers of other [non-Sunni Islamic] faiths; and 15 cases of activities to disrupt religious worship,” Komnas HAM member Muhammad Imdadun Rahman said. Read the full story from the Jakarta Globe.

2. Jakarta deploys 12,000 police personnel to safeguard holidays

Jakarta Police will deploy almost 12,000 police personnel to ensure the safety of churches, tourist attractions and other places usually crowded during Christmas and New Year celebrations. Jakarta Police spokesman Rikwanto said they were paying special attention to 309 churches, including 12 that have had problems before. Churchgoers therefore shouldn’t be surprised to find bomb squads at the door of big cathedrals. “We will use metal detectors at the main door, and we will conduct bomb sweeps before the midnight mass,” he said, according to BeritaJakarta.com.

More police personnel will be deployed for New Year’s eve celebrations, particularly along the stretch of road between the National Monument (Monas) and Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, where the city administration is organizing a street party to welcome the new year.  

3. The taxman cometh: Bakrie-owned Epiwalk mall sealed for unpaid taxes? 

As part of the government’s drive against delinquent taxpayers, police officers and officials from the South Jakarta tax office tried to seal off Epiwalk Mall in Kuningan, Setiabudi on Tuesday. Officials say the mall, managed by PT Bakrie Swasakti, a subsidiary of the Bakrie Group, had unpaid taxes amounting to more than IDR8.8 billion ($700,000), and that they were forced to seal it because the mall’s managers wasn’t responding to demands from the tax office, according to Kompas.com. The mall was given a new deadline next week to settle its tax obligations, or else its assets would be seized. But Liputan6 reported that the mall was operating normally again later in the day, albeit with a sign announcing its tax delinquency installed up front. 

4. Suspected terrorists arrested in East and Central Java

Indonesia’s elite anti-terrorism squad Densus 88 has been busy: On Tuesday, they arrested a man identified as Dodik Kuncoro from a house in Sukoharjo, Central Java, where they found bomb-making materials hidden in the ceiling, according to this Rappler report. On Monday night, a 44-year-old man identified by his initialy AM was arrested in Banyuwangi, East Java. And on Sunday, Toni, a fugitive who was in the police wanted list for planning a militant training program in Aceh, was arrested in Lamongan, East Java, state news agency Antara reported. 

5. Violence against journalists in Indonesia getting ‘more serious’

Though the number of incidences of violence against journalists in Indonesia the past year didn’t increase over the previous year, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) say they’re still worried because cases are getting more serious. There were at least 40 incidents against journalists this year, but they were all “heavyweight and very serious”, AJI chairman Suwarjono said on Tuesday. For instance, at least 10 journalists were injured the past year, and a case of blasphemy was filed against the Jakarta Post’s chief editor. Read the full report from Rappler. —Rappler.com