Indonesia's
chief of police warned on Monday that demonstrators may try to storm parliament
to protest against the Christian governor of the capital Jakarta, who, they
say, insulted the Koran.
Police used
tear gas and water cannon on Nov. 4 to disperse more than 100,000 protesters
demanding that the Christian governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama,
resign. He has denied blasphemy but nevertheless apologized for his comments.
Purnama is
standing for re-election in February and will compete with two Muslims for the
job - a powerful position that was a stepping stone for Joko Widodo to the
presidency in 2014.
According to
local media, police chief Tito Karnavian and military chief Gatot Nurmantyo,
said on Monday: "There are hidden methods by certain groups to enter and
occupy parliament... If (actions) are intended to overthrow the government,
that's a violation of the law."
Karnavian did
not elaborate on the identity of these groups and could not immediately be
reached for comment.
Police last
week widened an investigation into the comments made by Purnama, the first
Christian and ethnic Chinese politician to hold the position.The blasphemy
complaint was brought against him by Muslim groups, and prosecutors are
expected to bring a case to court in the coming weeks. Purnama could face up to
five years in prison if found guilty.
Indonesia is
the world's largest Muslim majority nation and is also home to sizeable
Christian and Hindu populations.
Many Muslims
have been protesting for weeks against Purnama and Widodo, who is seen as one
of his major supporters.
Karnavian
called on all sides to respect the legal process.
Moderate
Muslim groups have echoed this sentiment, but some conservative groups have
pushed for police to detain Purnama.
Authorities
are expecting anti-Purnama rallies to be held on Nov. 25 and Dec. 2. It is
unclear how many protesters will attend.
Reuters
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