100 houses set on fire in troubled Poso
100 houses set on fire in troubled Poso
POSO, Central Sulawesi(JP): At least 100 houses were set on
fire by mobs in two different areas on Monday, with one group of
houses reportedly belonging to Muslims and the other to
Christians.
Poso Police chief Sr. Comr. Djasman Baso Opu confirmed the
acts of arson in the village of Malino in Tojo district and in
Ampana Kota in Ampana district.
No casualties were reported in either attack.
The first incident occurred in Malino, some 50 kilometers east
of Poso, where an unknown group of people set fire to houses
belonging to local residents in the early hours of Monday
morning.
When the news of the arson attack, which was reportedly
perpetrated against the houses of Muslim residents, reached
Ampana, local Muslims gathered and launched a retaliatory attack
on a Christians community in Ampana.
In the retaliatory attack, around 12 houses were burned in
Ampana Kota, located some 267 kilometers southeast of Poso.
Djasman said the security forces had been deployed to both
locations.
"The situation is gradually coming under control," Djasman
said.
In another related development, some 1,000 people staged a
rowdy protest at the office of Poso Regent Abdul Muin Pusadan,
protesting against Central Sulawesi governor Aminuddin Ponulele
who was in town during a whirlwind visit around the province.
The protesters demanded that the governor cancel his planned
visit to Tentena, a town with a Christian majority located some
50 kilometers south of Poso.
They demanded that the governor and his entourage instead
visit Buyung Katedo hamlet in Sepe village where at least 14
people were killed last week.
"We will not let the Governor visit Tentena," the protesters
shouted.
The governor then met representatives of the protesters at the
regent's office. At the meeting, the governor was accompanied by
Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Zainal Abidin Ishak and
several officials from his administration.
The protesters' spokesman Yusuf Dumo said the governor should
pay attention to the people in Buyung Katedo, meet them and
listen to what they had to say.
The governor, however, insisted that he would not cancel his
visit to Tentena as he also wanted to hear what the people there
had to say.
"We don't discriminate between Muslims and Christians. We have
the right to visit and meet with people everywhere," Aminuddin
said.
Aminuddin, however, in the end decided to cancel his trip and
returned to Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi. (24/emf)