11 migrants missing in Poso
11 migrants missing in Poso
Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Palu, Central Sulawesi
Eleven men, most from Java, have disappeared from the restive
regency of Poso in the past six months, according to a police
memo at the Detective and Crime Directorate of the Central
Sulawesi provincial police headquarters.
Ten of the men were born in Tegal municipality in Central Java
and another was born in Makassar, the memo states. It was made
public on Friday in an attempt to enlist the assistance of people
who might know them.
The missing are: Abu Khair, 25, Daruji bin Muin, 28, Joko
Suprianto, 30, Siswanto, 25, Suwarno, 30, Muhammad Tosim bin
Darmin, 30, Untung bin Kliwon, 25, Warna bin Marwo, 25, Aryo, 30
and Saidi, 25. The only non-Javanese in the group is Muchlis, 27.
The public announcement, signed by Sr. Comr. Tatang Somantri,
added that the men were last seen in a Daihatsu Zebra minivan
together in Poso in October last year. Muchlis was apparently
hired as their driver.
The Javanese were said to be "iron bed traders", who departed
from Gorontalo province to Makassar through Poso regency.
Whether they were victims of a crime or in hiding after
committing a crime is still unclear. The purpose of their journey
was in question as well.
The police announcement was prompted by a notification letter
from Tegal police department a few days ago, stating that the 10
Tegal residents had been reported missing since October last year
in Poso regency.
Separately, chief of Central Sulawesi provincial police Brig.
Gen. Taufik Ridha said that the police questioned on Thursday 13
traders from several different areas of Java. However, none of
them had any connection with the 10 missing Javanese.
The 13 were seasonal traders from Java, selling various kinds
of things in Luwuk, the capital of Banggai regency in Central
Sulawesi, said Taufik.
They were discovered while riding public transportation in
Poso regency, on their way to Luwuk.
"We hauled them down to the station house after a routine road
block to check for identity papers. We initially suspected that
they were involved in the recent spate of shootings in Poso,
because they emerged in group shortly after the fatal shootings.
But, we released them due to lack of evidence," said the one-star
general.
Two people were killed, one a church minister, and eight
others severely injured after a string of shootings in the past
three weeks in Christian villages of the regency.
Police have questioned several people in those cases, and they
declared one of them, Risman, a suspect in the case.
However, the investigation into the case was reportedly going
at a snail's pace, as Risman said there were no new leads.
This has become a cause for concern for the police, because it
was hoped that Risman's statements would implement his cohorts as
well as the commander in charge of seemingly well-organized
paramilitary raids.
"The suspect has not said a thing. It makes it difficult for
us to do much if he doesn't sing," he said.
Sectarian conflicts have been an ugly feature of Poso regency
since 2000. At least 2,000 Muslims and Christians have been
killed in the sporadic, but bloody battles. The situation has
been relatively calm since the beginning of 2003 when a peace
deal was implemented by leaders of the two warring religions.