"The threatened forced relocation of a
Shi'a community living in temporary shelter in East Java is yet more evidence of
the continuing discrimination against religious minorities in Indonesia, said
Amnesty International. An estimated 165 Shi'as, including 48 children, have been
living in inadequate conditions at a sports complex in Sampang district on
Madura Island since August 2012 when they were displaced after their village was
attacked by a mob.
Credible local sources told Amnesty International that the authorities have given the villagers until March to convert to Indonesia’s majority religion Sunni Islam if they wish to return to their homes.
Credible local sources told Amnesty International that the authorities have given the villagers until March to convert to Indonesia’s majority religion Sunni Islam if they wish to return to their homes.
Conditions in the displaced Shi'a
community's temporary shelter have continued to deteriorate. Since 1 January the
East Java provincial police have withdrawn the officers who had been protecting
the community. In late December, the local authorities halted food supplies and
medical services. They had previously cut off food supplies on 22 November which
had resumed on 4 December. Some of the children in the shelter have fallen sick
over the last few weeks." (thanks Basim)
