Fresh violence erupts in Mamasa, one killed<\/p>\n
Andi Hajramurni and Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar\/Bandung<\/p>\n
After two days of relative calm, violence broke out again in
\nAralle district, Mamasa regency, killing one man and injuring
\nanother. The incident occurred at 10 a.m when some 300 Christians
\nsupporting the split of Polewali Mamasa regency into two
\nregencies attacked those who opposed the split in the mountainous
\nAralleana subdistrict, Aralle district, Mamasa regency, West
\nSulawesi province.<\/p>\n
The attack was an apparent retaliation after scores of
\nChristian houses and a church was burned down at dawn on Saturday
\nin Aralle district.<\/p>\n
Two residents opposing the split, Suharman and Usman,
\nsustained severe stab wounds, according to chief of South
\nSulawesi Police Insp. Gen. Saleh Saaf, who also oversees the
\nnewly established West Sulawesi province. Suharman died later at
\na local hospital.<\/p>\n
The death of Suharman brought the total victims in the spate
\nof violence that began on Saturday to three.<\/p>\n
Saleh said that police personnel were immediately dispatched
\nto Aralle, some 400 kilometers from the South Sulawesi capital of
\nMakassar, to defuse the situation.<\/p>\n
Upon arriving in the scene, hundreds of personnel with the
\nelite police unit the Mobile Brigade quickly dispersed the
\nattackers. Outnumbered and ill-equipped, the attackers fled to
\nthe jungle.<\/p>\n
In order to prevent further fatalities, the police are
\nfocusing on guarding several housing complexes whose residents
\noppose the split of Polewali Mamasa into two regencies: Polewali
\nMamasa and Mamasa regencies, said Saleh.<\/p>\n
The two-star general explained that the police were also
\ntracking down 12 people suspected of being responsible for the
\nrenewed conflict in Mamasa regency.<\/p>\n
Currently, almost 400 soldiers and police personnel are
\nstationed in Aralle district to keep the security situation in
\ncheck in the area.<\/p>\n
The fresh violence on Monday was the third after a law was
\npassed two years ago, which split Polewali Mamasa into two
\nregencies. The split drew strong protests from the predominantly
\nMuslim districts of Aralle, Tabulahan and Mambi, who feared that
\nthey would be a minority in the new predominantly Christian
\nregency of Mamasa. Besides the issue of religion, the residents
\nin the three districts also objected to the split on the grounds
\nthat the three districts were much closer to Polewali Mamasa
\nregency. They complained that it would be efficient in term of
\nbureaucracy and the economy if the three districts remained under
\nthe territory of Polewali Mamasa regency. But, the protest fell
\non deaf ears after the central government threw its weight behind
\nthe passing of the law that split Polewali Mamasa into two.<\/p>\n
After prolonged protests, violence broke out in September last
\nyear, killing three. Violence broke out again on Saturday,
\nkilling two.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fresh-violence-erupts-in-mamasa-one-killed-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}