TENTENA, Indonesia—Blocking streets, forming a cordon around a church and preventing a police helicopter from landing were just three tactics employed by scores of Christians in Tentena, in central Sulawesi, when police came Sept. 3 to arrest Rinaldy Damanik. The arrest was prevented, and Damanik left Tentena Sept. 9 for Jakarta of his own accord, only to be arrested there two days later
As the secretary-general of the Synod of the GKST(Christian Church of Central Sulawesi), Damanik is a key Christian leader in the drive for peace in central Sulawesi. He was a signatory of the Dec. 20, 2001, Malino I peace pact between Christian and Muslim leaders, and he has worked tirelessly to put a stop to the violence that has left over 2,000 dead in two years among the two communities.
But police issued a warrant for his arrest in August on charges of carrying illegal arms in his car, and for “provoking communal unrest.” The circumstances of the charge are suspicious, however.
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