Police, TNI spilt over Poso slaying<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The police said they would continue their investigation into
\nfive men who are suspected of being responsible for the recent
\nbeheadings of three schoolgirls in Poso, Central Sulawesi,
\ndespite a move by the local military to release them.<\/p>\n
The Army's 714th Battalion reportedly released on Saturday the
\nfive men, four civilians and a retired military police officer,
\nwho were arrested last week due to a lack of evidence and because
\nthe seven-day detention period without charges allowed under the
\nantiterror law was over.<\/p>\n
It is not immediately clear why the Army did not hand over the
\nfive men to the police as required by the law to launch a proper
\ninvestigation.<\/p>\n
\"The investigation is still going on. But we cannot rush into
\ndeclaring them (the five men) suspects,\" Central Sulawesi Police
\nchief Oegroseno was quoted by Antara as saying on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\"We need more evidence before naming them (the five men) as
\nsuspects, including a complete report from the forensic
\nlaboratory in Jakarta which is currently conducting blood tests.
\nWe will then examine the laboratory's findings in the light of
\nother evidence we found at the (crime) sites,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Two weeks ago, the Army's 714th Battalion, which is stationed
\nin Rononuncu in Poso city, launched a two-day operation in
\nconnection with the recent beheadings of three Christian
\nschoolgirls in an apparent attempt to reignite sectarian conflict
\nin Poso.<\/p>\n
During the operation, which was held separately in Poso and
\nthe town of Ampana in Tojo Una-Una regency, some 200 kilometers
\neast of Poso, the soldiers arrested five people, including Tony
\nMowala alias Rinto, 51, a former military police officer.<\/p>\n
The other four are Irfan Anjiro, 23, a security guard,
\nJamiluddin alias Jamil, 25, also a security guard, Ridwan Masero,
\n25, a farmer and Saleman Yunus alias Herman, 28, a motorcycle
\ntaxi driver.<\/p>\n
Poso, has witnessed sectarian violence in recent years.<\/p>\n
More than 1,000 people were killed in a bloody sectarian
\nconflict between Muslims and Christians between 2000 and 2001.
\nThe residents have also seen sporadic bomb attacks,
\nassassinations, and assaults, the latest of which happened late
\nlast week involving another student and a teacher of a local
\njunior high school.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a rights activist has questioned the arrest of the
\nfive men by the Army saying \"it is against the law\".<\/p>\n
\"I'm questioning the arrest by the servicemen of the five men
\nbecause it is against the law. The military is not authorized to
\narrest civilians. Even the antiterror law has said that the
\nmilitary should hand over suspected terrorists to the police
\nimmediately after arrest,\" said Usman Hamid, a coordinator of the
\nNational Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of the
\nViolence (Kontras).<\/p>\n
Usman further questioned why the five men were kept in the
\nbattalion's camp for the seven days, leaving the police with no
\naccess to question them.<\/p>\n
\"I believe that within the last seven days, there was no legal
\nprocess taken against the five, and I see that the military were
\nintent on taking advantage of legal loopholes,\" Usman said.<\/p>",
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