Government plans to launch offensive against Poso attackers<\/p>\n
Irvan NR and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta\/Palu<\/p>\n
In response to a series of attacks on villages in Poso over the
\npast week, the government will take the offensive in dealing with
\nsecurity problems in this remote Central Sulawesi town.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister of Political and Security Affairs Susilo
\nBambang Yudhoyono said tough measures were necessary because of
\nthe fragile security situation in Poso.<\/p>\n
\"The government has decided to launch more offensive
\noperations and send more security personnel to Poso to put a stop
\nto the violence,\" Susilo said after a security meeting at his
\noffice.<\/p>\n
He would not go into detail about the policy, saying the plan
\nwould be discussed with President Megawati Soekarnoputri during a
\nCabinet meeting on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Also present at the security meeting on Tuesday were Minister
\nof Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda, Indonesia Military (TNI)
\nCommander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, National Police deputy chief
\nComr. Gen. Kadaryanto and Coordinating Minister for the Economy
\nDorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti. Coordinating Minister for People's
\nWelfare Jusuf Kalla left the meeting early to preside over a
\nseparate ministerial meeting.<\/p>\n
Citing intelligence reports, Susilo blamed the continuing
\nviolence in Poso on \"a third party\" who was attempting to disrupt
\nthe ongoing peace process in Poso.<\/p>\n
\"There is an effort (to destabilize the peace) there and there
\nis a party from outside of Poso involved in the effort,\" Susilo
\nsaid, refusing to identify this mastermind.<\/p>\n
A series of attacks between Nov. 26 and Nov. 30 left four
\npeople dead in Poso and raising fears of a recurrence of the
\nMuslim-Christian violence that killed about 2,000 people between
\n1999 and 2001.<\/p>\n
The government sent 3,400 reinforcement police officers and
\nmilitary soldiers to the town following a series of attacks in
\nOctober that left 10 people dead.<\/p>\n
Susilo said the vast area of Poso and the hit-and-run tactics
\nof the attackers made it difficult for the government to end the
\nviolence.<\/p>\n
\"Despite the peace process, Poso residents are still prone to
\nprovocateurs and agitation,\" Susilo said, referring to the peace
\naccord signed in the South Sulawesi town of Malino in November
\n2001.<\/p>\n
Susilo also criticized the Poso administration for depending
\ntoo heavily on the central government to maintain the peace.<\/p>\n
\"The local leadership is not professional in handling the
\nmatter. It's impossible for the government to control or handle
\neverything because they are supposed to know the situation there
\nbetter than us,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Poso residents, he added, were \"not cooperative enough\" in
\nproviding information to investigators.<\/p>\n
\"Perhaps they have certain fears or they do not want to be
\ninvolved in new conflicts,\" said Susilo, saying that this
\nattitude was hampering attempts by security officers to arrest
\nthe perpetrators of the violence in Poso.<\/p>\n
But the Poso Police praised locals for their willingness to
\nhelp officers.<\/p>\n
Poso Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Agus Sugianto said local
\nresidents had begun to assist security officers in maintaining
\norder.<\/p>\n
He was referring in particular to a local resident who
\nreported his discovery of a bomb on Jl. Nias to the police on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
\"If he did not tell us, the bomb would have claimed the lives
\nof residents as the road is always busy,\" Agus said.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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