JAKARTA. Islam Defenders Front (FPI) spokesman Munarman threw water over sociologist Thamrin Amal Tamagola during a morning talk show aired by private television station TV One on Friday.

The morning talk show, which was also attended by National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Boy Amar Rafli, was discussing the National Police's decision to prohibit mass organizations from launching raids during the Ramadhan fasting month.

During the discussion, Thamrin referred to an international award presented to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in recognition of his work to promote pluralism and human rights as a motivation to provide more protection to every citizen in the country.

Thamrin said that Munarwan did not like it when he mentioned the award received by the President, even though he did not refer to any religious mass organization during the talk show.

“I never used the words ‘mass organization'; when I referred to the citizens in the country, I did not mean any specific group of people,” he said on Friday.

Munawarman, according to Thamrin, considered all his arguments unfounded and the discussion turned into a hot debate when Munawarman questioned the correlation between the topic and the award.

“He threw water at me. I kept quiet and tried not to respond to it,” Thamrin said.

Thamrin said that his wife started to cry when she witnessed the incident and suggested that he file a report with the police.

“I told my wife that I wouldn’t file any report. Let the public make its own judgment on the incident. I will let the police take action as the incident took place in public and Pak Boy witnessed it first-hand,” he said. (hrl)

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