Buton readies 1,500 officers

BAUBAU, Southeast Sulawesi: The Buton regency has readied 1,500 police and army personnel to secure next week's elections in the archipelago.

The electoral preparations in Buton have been hampered by a late delivery of balloting materials to the remote Tukang Besi islands.

Buton Police chief Lt. Col. Kurnia Suratno S. said that certain areas of the regency are susceptible to unrest given the temperamental residents.

For example, when a sectarian conflict broke out in Ambon on Jan. 19, angry residents attacked the state-owned electricity company facilities in Wanci and Polean islands.

Kurnia said security would be focused in the sprawling Tukang Besi islands where potential conflict is high. (27)