Nana Rukmana, Jakarta, Kuningan – Rights activists agreed Friday the government was directly and indirectly responsible for Tuesday's violent attacks against followers of the Ahmadiyah sect in Kuningan, West Java.

Chairman of Setara Institute Hendardi said the government must understand one of its main tasks, as per the 1945 Constitution, was to protect followers of every religious belief.

Rights activists said the government was directly responsible because of its inability to protect believers of various faiths in Indonesia. They said the government was also indirectly at fault because it had allowed such attacks to occur repeatedly.

The Ahmadiyah worship complex in Kuningan was attacked by a group of people on Tuesday, leaving four injured. The attack followed a rally protesting the sect's beliefs and demanding the total closure of the complex.

Hendardi said, "The existence of overlapping and conflicting regulations should not have become a reason for the government to neglect their responsibility toward promoting, protecting and fulfilling a person's right to choose a personal belief".

In Kuningan, the regental administration had yet to reopen the sealed Ahmadiyah worship complex, despite calls from Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Thursday for the seal to be removed.

But head of Kuningan legal agency, Jatnika, said the administration had not received an order to reopen the worship complex.

"I've heard about Kalla's plea for no more violence, but none on the seal," Jatnika said Friday. "We will still seal the worship complex until there is a firm order from the central government."

Syaiful Anam from Human Rights Watch group said the government had to held accountable. Anam said the police could also be categorized as having violated human rights because they had tolerated the attacks.

"I have seen the police let this kind of religious violence happen repeatedly," Anam said. "What recently happened to the Ahmadiyah community in Kuningan has happened in other places, around two years ago. However, the police have never held anyone responsible for the violence and no-one has been brought to court."

However the National Commission on Human Rights has also been criticized. Some have said the commission has failed to act on reports filed by religious groups relating to mounting recent threats against them.

Rights commissioner Syafruddin Ngulma Simeulue did not deny said criticisms. "However, I need to inform people that one of the biggest difficulties the commission is facing is that the spirit of promoting human rights has not been instilled by the government in all of its offices," Syafruddin told the Post.

He said the commission planned to meet with the National Police Chief in January. "We want to emphasize to the police their role is seriously needed in protecting all Indonesians, regardless of their religions," Syafruddin said.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Sisno Adiwinoto said because some violent acts had occurred, the police would conduct an investigation and would use the law to see those responsible brought to court. (uwi)