'Poso violence beyond control'<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Tasman Banto, The Jakarta Post,
\nJakarta\/Palu<\/p>\n
Security conditions in restive Central Sulawesi are getting out
\nof control due to the presence of an \"unidentified group\" which
\ncontinues stir renewed violence, according to a police officer.<\/p>\n
Poso Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Unggung Cahyono said on
\nSaturday that the group had a vast operation area around the
\nregency and was well-organized.<\/p>\n
\"It is difficult for us to minimize the movement of the group,
\nresulting in incidents which continue throughout the regency,\"
\nUnggung told The Jakarta Post by phone.<\/p>\n
He further said that due to a lack of personnel, the police
\ncould not identify the group or their motives as they tended to
\n\"hit and run\" in their actions.<\/p>\n
\"We think these continuing incidents were committed by the
\nsame group of people who attacked two villages last week,\" the
\nofficer said.<\/p>\n
Central Sulawesi Police Chief Brig. Gen. Zainal Abidin agreed
\nwith Unggung, saying that a well-trained and well-organized group
\nwere behind the series of attacks, mostly against Christians.<\/p>\n
Speaking in the provincial capital of Palu, he said that the
\nsituation in Poso was tense because of the incidents.<\/p>\n
The latest violence occurred on Thursday evening, when an
\nItalian tourist and several local civilians were murdered after
\ntheir bus was ambushed by armed men near Mayoa village, some 200
\nkilometers south of Poso.<\/p>\n
It was the fourth such random attack on a innocent civilians
\nin a passenger bus since Muslim and Christian leaders signed the
\nMalino peace accord to end nearly three years of conflict in
\nDecember 2001.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, the Poso Community Communication Forum (FKMTP)
\nreported attacks on the villages of Matako and Malito by a group
\nof armed men, who burned down dozens of houses and left several
\npeople wounded a few days earlier.<\/p>\n
Compounded by threats on another two villages, the forum asked
\nthe central government to launch another operation to restore
\norder in the regency.<\/p>\n
All the incidents came ahead of the follow-up dialog to
\nevaluate the implementation of the Malino peace agreement
\nscheduled for Sunday.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare Yusuf Kalla, the man
\nbehind the peace talks, and National Police Chief Gen. Da'i
\nBachtiar were scheduled to attend the dialog.<\/p>\n
Kalla said in Jakarta that the government vowed to capture the
\nperpetrators of the violence in Poso and had deployed a battalion
\nof troops to the restive town.<\/p>\n
Unggung said that ever since the central government decided to
\nreduce the number of the security personnel in Poso, activities
\nof the unidentified armed group increased.<\/p>\n
\"However, I cannot say whether the continuing attacks are
\nrelated to the planned dialog,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The attacks may threaten the resumption of the dialog as
\nsignatories of the Malino agreement from Christian community
\nstated their rejection to attend because of the worsening
\nsecurity condition.<\/p>\n
A Christian leader, Sawerigading Pelima, said it would be
\nuseless to hold the meeting if security authorities could not do
\nanything to deal with the armed group.<\/p>\n
\"We do not see the significance of the dialog because the
\nsecurity conditions in Poso remain poor,\" Pelima said as quoted
\nby Antara.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/poso-violence-beyond-control-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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