Troops disarm rivals, expell outsiders from troubled Poso<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro and Badri Djawara, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta\/Poso<\/p>\n
Authorities said they have begun security operations to restore
\norder in violence-torn Poso, Central Sulawesi, pledging to pacify
\nlocal armed groups and expel armed outsiders who are terrorizing
\npeople in the regency.<\/p>\n
Comr. Gen. Sjahcroedin Pagaralam, the operations assistant to
\nthe National Police chief, had already claimed that the situation
\nin Poso had quieted down somewhat since operations began on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
Reports coming out of Poso on Tuesday also indicated that the
\nsituation had calmed with one local even stating that residents
\nwere able to sleep soundly on Monday night.<\/p>\n
Speaking to journalists in Jakarta after Tuesday's
\nCoordinating Meeting on Security and Political Affairs,
\nSjahcroedin said four battalions of police and soldiers
\n(estimated at between 3,000 to 4,000 personnel) arrived there on
\nDec. 1.<\/p>\n
In their efforts to restore law and order, Sjahcroedin said
\ntheir immediate priority would be \"to conduct raids on groups in
\npossession of firearms and then to deport all of the outsiders
\nfrom the region to their places of origin.\"<\/p>\n
He insisted that security personnel would pursue a \"persuasive
\napproach\", but warned that any resistance or refusal to surrender
\narms would be dealt with harshly.<\/p>\n
Sectarian conflict between Christians and Muslims has raged on
\nin Poso since late 1999. Some 2,000 people have died in the
\n14,433 square kilometer regency.<\/p>\n
After intermittent periods of calm, violence again hit the
\nsome 260,000 residents in the regency in October when perhaps
\nthousands of armed militants from other provinces arrived.<\/p>\n
There have been reports that the latest situation was
\nexacerbated by infiltration from certain extreme groups
\noriginating from outside the regency. Many suspect the Java-based
\nMuslim group, Laskar Jihad.<\/p>\n
Some believe that the proximity of the province to Maluku and
\nNorth Maluku has also been a contributing factor.<\/p>\n
Those two provinces have been hit by one of the bloodiest and
\nmost sustained cases of sectarian violence in the country in many
\nyears.<\/p>\n
Confident that the situation in Poso would improve further
\nSjachroedin said that because order had been restored the
\ngovernment had already made plans to mediate reconciliation
\ntalks.<\/p>\n
The timing of the meeting, planned for next Tuesday in Malino,
\nSouth Sulawesi, seems to coincide with the climate of forgiveness
\nwhich is a feature in the Muslim holiday of Idul Fitri which
\nbegins two days earlier.<\/p>\n
The meeting will be facilitated by the office of the
\nCoordinating Minister for People's Welfare.<\/p>\n
\"If we stop the prolonged sectarian conflict there, we (the
\ngovernment) will immediately begin recovery operations,\"
\nSjachroedin promised.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile Poso residents were able to enjoy some respite from
\nthe clashes in the past two days.<\/p>\n
Armed mobs were no longer seen roving the streets of Poso
\ntown, replaced instead by government soldiers and police orderly
\npatrolling the area.<\/p>\n
Most residents, however, still chose to limit their outside
\nactivities, particularly at night.<\/p>\n
Councilman Erawanto of the local Crescent Star Party when
\nasked about the latest developments seemed optimistic saying
\nthere were signs that peace may be returning.<\/p>\n
\"We were able to sleep soundly,\" he said, adding that many
\nresidents were able to get back to work or tend their rice crops.<\/p>\n
Poso police precinct chief Adj. Sr. Comm. Unggung Cahyono, who
\nalso heads the security restoration operation, however could not
\nsay when the sweeping for arms against civilian groups would
\nbegin.<\/p>\n
He said that currently, authorities were still peacefully
\ntrying to persuade people to surrender their weapons by
\napproaching local community figures and placing public
\nannouncements throughout the regency.<\/p>\n
\"Even though no one has yet surrendered a weapon, security is
\nhas been restored,\" he claimed. \"We're trying very hard so that
\nnot a single drop of blood is shed again in Poso.\"<\/p>\n
Steps to resolve the sectarian conflict in Poso:
\n * Disarm militiamen and fighters of the conflicting camps
\nthrough persuasive means, by force if necessary only.
\n * Expel unwanted militiamen from the regency.
\n * Hold meeting on Dec. 18 to reconcile conflicting groups
\n * Rehabilitate damaged assets<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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