VZCZCXRO0150
RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJS #0026 0750735
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 160735Z MAR 09
FM AMCONSUL SURABAYA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0382
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 0367
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0181
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 0157
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHJS/AMCONSUL SURABAYA 0388

UNCLAS SURABAYA 000026 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/INR, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KISL KCOR ID
SUBJECT: LOMBOK: AHMADIYAH'S RETURN POSTPONED 
 
REF: SURABAYA 20 
 
This Message is Sensitive but Unclassified. Please Protect 
Accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: As reported Reftel, members of the Ahmadiyah 
community in Lombok, Nusa Tenggara Tengah (NTB), intended to 
return to their home villages in the West Lombok Regency on 
March 14.    At the request of the West Lombok government, the 
Ahmadis resident in Transito Camp have agreed to delay their 
return for one month, until April 14. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) According to an Ahmadiyah coordinator in NTB, the West 
Lombok Regency government held a meeting on Monday 11 to discuss 
the Ahmadiyah community's request to return to their homes in 
Gegerungan Village on March 14 (reftel).   A representative of 
West Lombok subsequently visited the Ahmadis and requested that 
they cancel plans to return home due to "security reasons."  The 
representative also informed the community that the West Lombok 
government was still processing the Ahmadi's request for 
compensation for assets destroyed during the riot that forced 
the Ahmadi's from their homes three years ago. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Eight representatives from the NTB provincial 
government (including the heads of the Welfare and Development 
Department and the Department of Religion) paid a "courtesy 
visit" to the Transito camp on March 12.  They reportedly asked 
the Ahmadis to "obey current regulations."  A representative of 
the Ahmadiyah community told ConGen Surabaya that there was no 
point to the meeting since the community already complied with 
all regulations. 
 
¶4. (SBU) On March 14, the Transito Ahmadiyah community sent a 
follow-up letter to the West Lombok government stating the 
community's willingness to delay their return to Gegerungan 
Village.  The letter goes on to inform the government that the 
community intends to return to their homes on April 14, 
regardless of the government's response. 
 
MCCLELLAND