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The WCC general secretary, Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, has called on the Indonesian Government to "take immediate steps to put an end to the violence in the Malukus".
In a 5 May letter to the president, Megawati Soekarnoputri, made public today, he supported a similar call from the local Protestant and Roman Catholic Church representatives in the face of "the outbreak of violence and conflict between Muslims and Christians in the Malukus region since 25 April".
WCC member churches in the region have consistently striven for peace and reconciliation between the two communities and have promoted inter-religious dialogue. "It is important that these efforts do not suffer a set-back because of actions of a few extremists on both sides of the religious divide," wrote Kobia.
He expressed particular concern about the attacks and acts of arson at the Indonesian Christian University in Malukus. Almost 40 people are reported to have lost their lives as a result of the ongoing violence there. "Much of the damage and spread of violence could have been avoided if the Indonesian security forces… had taken timely action," Kobia suggested.
The full text of the letter is available at:
