Attacks leave Palu gripped by insecurity
Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Palu
"I don't dare go home too late at night now. I used to return after 12 midnight, but now I'm already home by 7 p.m. I'm really worried about the terror in Palu these days," Palu resident Jemmy Sundah told The Jakarta Post.
Jemmy is one of the hundreds of Palu residents who feels threatened by the recent spate of terror and violent attacks in Palu. Palu city, usually bustling with traffic at night, is very quiet now. Residents prefer to stay indoors rather than go out on the streets.
Terror and violent acts have not occurred in Poso alone, but also in Central Sulawesi's capital of Palu.
Perpetrators usually commit the attacks while riding on motorcycles without using their headlights, pulling up alongside their victims before carrying out violent acts such as hacking and shooting. Two girls, Yanti and Evi, who were riding pillion on a motorcycle driven by Anca, were hacked by unidentified persons on motorcycles on Jl. Tanjung Tururuka, Palu, last week. Yanti, 22, died at the scene, while Evi, who was seriously injured, was rushed to hospital. Anca escaped injury as he was able to evade the attackers.
Police have yet to arrest the perpetrators. They have only questioned a few suspects, including a member of the police water and air unit, whose motorbike was found covered with blood.
The following day, Pudji Laksono, a lecturer at the agricultural school of Palu's Tadulako University, and his wife, Novlin Palinggi, a lecturer at the engineering school of the same university, were shot by unidentified persons. They are still being treated at the Undata Hospital in Palu. Again, police have yet to arrest the perpetrators.
Some observers are of the opinion that the latest violence in Palu was aimed at shifting the conflict from Poso. "The terrorists' movements in Poso have been limited. I think they have intentionally instilled the situation in Palu to divide the authorities' attention," said director of the Central Sulawesi office of the Center for the Development of Law and Human Rights Studies (LPS-HAM), Syamsul Agus.
A sociologist from Tadulako University, Tahmidy Lasahido, commented that the terror in Palu was nothing other than an effort to create a sense of insecurity among the people. However, he said terror acts being committed by the unknown group were more dangerous because they did not select their victims prior to a crime, but rather chose them at random.
Police have yet to determine the motive behind the conflict in Poso, but it is obvious that the culprits in Palu want to create a feeling of insecurity among the people.
"The terror motive in Palu is apparent. They want people to feel insecure," said Brig. Gen. Oegroseno, the police chief in Central Sulawesi province.
Oegroseno said that police were still investigating the motive behind the terror in Poso, and that they were still interrogating several suspects now being held at Central Sulawesi Police headquarters.
Police have detained four suspects so far. The first suspect in the slayings of the three female students from a Christian senior high school, who were all found beheaded, has been identified as Irfan Masiro, 23. Police have yet to disclose the motive behind the slayings few weeks ago, but the suspect admitted to his family that he was paid to carry out the crime.