Bomb explosions disrupt peace ahead of Poso regency election
Bomb explosions disrupt peace ahead of Poso regency election
Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Tentena
As Poso residents brace for regency elections on Thursday,
the peace was again shattered when a bomb exploded in an empty
kiosk at the city's Pasar Central market on Wednesday morning.
No casualties or significant physical damage were reported in
the incident.
Another bomb exploded in the city on Tuesday night near the
campaign office of a pair of candidates in the upcoming regency
elections. There were no casualties.
Another bomb was found on Wednesday night, at 7:43 p.m., in a
garbage bin outside the state court building. Five minutes later
an explosive device was discovered in the Bank Rakyat Indonesia
office.
Police have questioned six witnesses over the incident on
Tuesday, which took place near the campaign headquarters of Piet
Inkiriwang and A. Muthalib Rimi, who are backed by the Prosperous
Peace Party.
Police have yet to name any suspects in the cases or to
provide detailed information on the bombs.
"We are still investigating the incidents," Poso Police chief
Adj. Sr. Comr. Moh. Sholeh Hidayat said on Wednesday.
The two explosions follow the twin explosions in a Tentena
market in May that killed 21 people, the deadliest attack since
the Bali bombings in 2002 that killed 202 people, and have
raised fears of possible conflict in Thursday's elections.
These fears are not groundless. Two-years of communal violence
in the province killed over 1,000 people before an uneasy peace
was reached in 2001.
Poso residents, however, are trying not to be distracted by
the explosions.
Yan Patris Binela, head of the legal office of the Central
Sulawesi Christian Church Synod, said the Christian community in
Tentena, some 60 kilometers south of Poso, was ready to help
ensure successful elections.
"I believe people here will actively take part in the
elections as part of their political participation," he told The
Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Residents, he said, were working together to set up an "early
warning system" to prevent conflicts before and after the
elections. Part of the system is the beefing up of security in
every neighborhood.
Aswad, a Poso city resident, said Muslims in the city would
not be affected by the explosions. "There is nothing to worry
about. It is safe here."
Acting Poso regent Andi Azikin Suyuti said the situation in
the city was under control and urged people to go about with
their normal activities. After meeting with the Poso General
Elections Commission (KPUD), he said the elections would go ahead
as scheduled.
"The KPUD reported that the elections preparations are
finished, including security. We are being assisted by 100 police
officers from the Banggai Police," Azikin said.
After the explosions, Central Sulawesi Governor Aminuddin
Ponulele inspected the elections preparations in Poso and is
scheduled to watch the voting in Tentena.
Syamsul Alam, director of the Law and Advocacy Development
Study Institute, however, said the police and military had
"failed" to maintain security, evident in the widespread violence
and acts of terrorism in the city.
He said Poso residents hoped the elections would result in
democratic leaders capable of dealing with the regency's many
problems. "People hope that the elections will be the starting
point for the resolution of the many problems in Poso."