Two monasteries and five temples located in Tanjung Balai, Medan, North Sumatra, were burned by an angry mob on July 29, 2016. The incident was said to be triggered by a misunderstanding. Source: Istimewa

TEMPO.CO, Tanjung Balai, North Sumatra - Two monasteries and five temples located in Tanjung Balai, Medan, North Sumatra, were burned by an angry mob. This incident was triggered by a misunderstanding.

The incident eventually got all under control at around 03:30 WIB, after the Police mediate with the mob and kept on urging them to go home.

According to Tanjung Balai Police Chief, Adjunct Commissioner Ayep Wahyu Gunawan, the incident started yesterday, July 29, 2016, around 17:55 Western Indonesia Time (WIB). A woman with with the initials `M` felt disturbed by the sound of Adzan (calling of prayer) from a mosque, which is located in front of her house, and complained about it.

M and the people at the mosque then quarreled; the police and the urban village authorities immediately tried to mediate them.

In the mediation, said Ayep, someone spread a false information via a broadcast in an instant messenger service. The message broadcasted through the social media stated that the mosque was prohibited to sound any Adzan. That message ultimately made some people in Tanjung Balai went on a rampage.

"At first, they came to M`s house to do some property damage, but then they move on and multiply in number. The false info spread so fast that it actually deviated from the fact of what is actually happened," stated Ayep when contacted by Tempo, Saturday, July 30, 2016. At this moment, Ayep said that M is still secured in the local police office to avoid the possibility of mass fury.

Because of the incident, not only several Buddhist monasteries and temples were burned, but also three cars, three motorbikes, and one pedicab bike. Fortunately, there were no casualties. "Part of the buildings were burned, because of the praying equipments such as incense and praying papers which are prone to fire. A number of vehicles also got burned," said Ayep.

DESTRIANITA K

(This article has been corrected due to incorrect information in the previous article)



