TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Presidential Special Staff Lenis Kogoya said that President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo regretted the Tolikara incident and apologized to Moslems who became the victims in the Tolikara incident.
"On behalf of the President, I would like to convey my apology to the residents affected by the incident, especially Moslems in Tolikara. It is regrettable that this incident happened on a special day for Moslems,” Lenis said during a press conference in State Secretary building on Saturday, July 18, 2015.
Lenis also asserted that the clash was purely a clash and urged the people not to link it with certain political motives. He also called Papuan residents not to blow the incident out of proportion and make it a bigger-scale incident.
"This is just an clash. There are no threats. The young generation must not be provoked because of this incident,” he added.
"Tribe wars are common but interfaith conflicts have never happened. So, this is a just incident and please do not exaggerate it,” he concluded.
As previously reported, Residents in Papua’s Tolikara district on Friday morning attacked a group of Muslims who were about to perform Idul Fitri prayers, throwing rocks at the congregation and setting fire to their mosque.
ANANDA TERESIA