Sulawesi churches to beef up security
Play
Police in Indonesia's South Sulawesi have called on churches and other places of worship to beef up security, including the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, as part of measures to prevent acts of terror.
“The number of police personnel is limited. It’s not possible for us to place personnel at each church or at other houses of worship, which are countless. So, we are urging people to take independent security measures, including installing CCTV,” explained Makassar Police chief Senior Commander Joseph Wisnu Sanjaya.
On Sunday morning, Tiatira Church and Toraja Mamasa Church (GTM) in Makassar were attacked with Molotov cocktails only a few hours before regular Sunday services commenced.
The attack caused no damage to Tiatira Church, but GTM suffered damage to its gate and name board after unidentified people threw two Molotov cocktails at the building. No casualties were reported.
Wisnu said the police were still investigating the cases based on statements from eyewitnesses and evidence found. “We have four witnesses who were at the crime scene,” said Wisnu. However, he added that police had yet to find a clue as to the perpetrators or groups involved.
