At least 2 dead in armed attack in Morowali

The Jakarta Post, Palu/Jakarta

An armed group of raiders attacked the Central Sulawesi village of Beteleme in Lembo district, Morowali regency, early on Friday, leaving two people dead and several others injured.

It was the most serious outbreak of communal violence since the end of the prolonged sectarian conflict that rocked the neighboring town of Poso two years ago.

National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said that the group, who remain unidentified, were armed with guns, daggers and Molotov cocktails, and that they attacked the villagers and torched their homes just after midnight.

Da'i said that the residents who had been killed or injured in the attack were mostly shot.

Eyewitnesses, however, said three people were killed in the incident, while two others were severely injured.

They identified the dead as Derina Mbai, 40, a local elementary school teacher, Hengky Malito, 48, also a local elementary school teacher and Oster Tarioko, 46, an employee of state-run electricity company PT PLN. The two wounded victims were L. Malo, an elementary school teacher, and another resident identified only as Lingkua.

The witnesses said the attackers, who wore masks and ninja- like attire, set 32 houses, three cars and seven motorcycles ablaze. None of the residents were able to identify who the attackers were.

Da'i suspected the attack was aimed at reviving the sectarian conflict between Christians and Muslims in Poso between 1999 and 2001, which claimed some 2,000 lives.

"There are some groups who deliberately want to destroy peace by inciting hatred among people in the area," he told reporters at National Police Headquarters in Jakarta after Friday prayers.

The government brokered a peace agreement between the conflicting communities in Poso in December 2001, but sporadic violence has continued to occur, albeit on a much less devastating scale.

In mid-July of this year, a gang of masked man shot a policeman and a school teacher at Lembomowo village in Poso. The two victims survived the attack. The day before, a bomb exploded in Poso leaving four people injured.

Da'i said that police were still investigating who the perpetrators were and what motives lay behind the attack on Morowali, a predominantly Christian regency.

"We are quite shocked by the incident as we had considered that region to be relatively peaceful," he said.

A local community leader in Lembo district, Munding Palaga, said most of the residents were sound asleep when suddenly they heard gunshots in the vicinity of the local public health center.

The gunshots panicked the residents who immediately ran out into the streets, where they were fired on by the attackers, Munding said.

"The assailants also torched the houses left vacant by fleeing residents. The incident lasted for about an hour," he said.

Da'i said the police reinforcements had been immediately dispatched to restore security in the region.

The provincial police deployed two companies of Mobile Brigade (Brimob) troopers to the area under the direct command of the Central Sulawesi Brimob commander, Adj. Sr. Comr. Abdi Dharma.

Da'i said that the National Police were considering speeding up the stationing of a permanent police unit in the regency, which currently comes under the jurisdiction of the Poso Police.

Police found four 5.56 millimeter bullet cases, one 45 millimeter FN pistol bullet, and a Molotov cocktail at the scene.

Based on this evidence, police sources said that the attackers could be those who had been involved in the sectarian conflict in Poso as the ammunition that had been recovered matched those seized during the Poso violence.

Abdul Kadir, a local official who resides in Beteleme, said the midnight attack had left about 200 people homeless. They had sought shelter in relatives' homes around the regency.

The incident also halted public transportation between the provincial capital, Palu, and Morowali. A number of bus and transportation firms suspended their operations for fear of further violence.

Police were seen carrying out security checks on passing cars, buses and trucks in a search for weapons or illegal firearms.