At least 2 dead in armed attack in Morowali

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.