Kontras Denounces Violence Against Shites In Sampang

Jakarta, Aug 28 (ANTARA) - The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has denounced the bloodshed perpetrated against Shiite Muslims in the Ombeng sub-district of Madura Island in East Java on last Sunday. The attack against the Shiites was a criminal act, Sinung Karto of Kontras said in a press statement on Monday, adding that the perpetrators must be held accountable and punished in accordance with the crime they have committed. If they are not held accountable, such an incident might be repeated in the future, he stated. Karto also urged the government to adopt anticipatory measures for preventing the possibility of similar attacks taking place again, such as the one that occurred in December 2011. He noted that deploying a large number of security officials will not solve the problem, and that the government must help in alleviating the physical and psychological pain that the victims have undergone. The authorities should also start a dialogue that helps achieving a resolution for the issue, Karto stated. Two Shiite Muslims were reportedly killed and scores of others injured in a violent incident that took place in Omben on Sunday. Fifty refugees including women and children from Omben have been accommodated at the Wijaya Kusuma Sports Hall in Sampang on East Java`s Madura Island, since the attack on Sunday. The attack against the Shiite Muslims, which took place in the Nanggernang area of Karanggayam village, in the Omben sub-district of Sampang, was the second such incident to have taken place in the last two years.