Central Sulawesi Police to expel troublemakers

Erick W., The Jakarta Post, Palu

The police are making an inventory of immigrants in Poso in their attempt to expel troublemakers from the regency as part of the Malino declaration to end sectarian conflict.

The decision was made at a coordination meeting presided by Central Sulawesi Police Brig. Gen. Zainal Abidin in the city of Poso on Feb. 5, 2002. Also attending the meeting were Col. Suwahyuhadji, chief of Tadulako Military District, who supervises the province, Poso deputy regent Malik Syahadat and relevant local officials.

Local officials have also set the deadline for Mar. 7, 2002 for the completion of the inventory of immigrants, which includes tourists, to leave the regency voluntarily. After the deadline expires, security authorities are to take tight measures against those who refuse to return to their hometowns.

The meeting also decided to extend the deadline until Feb. 28, 2002, for Poso Muslims and Christians to voluntarily surrender their firearms to the security authorities.

"After the deadline expires, those who refuse to surrender their guns will be dealt with in accordance with the law," Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus Sugianto, spokesman for the Central Sulawesi, said here on Friday.

Sugianto said the police have coordinated with informal community and religious leaders as well as a joint task force established by the two warring factions to inform members of the public about the declaration and the inventory.

"The government in Poso, informal community and religious leaders will soon be better informed about the whereabouts of immigrant troublemakers.

"The security authorities have been aware of troublemakers in Poso for a long time but have yet to take tight measures to allow them to leave the regency voluntarily," he said, adding that it was better for the troublemakers to leave Poso voluntarily than be expelled by force.

The situation in Poso has been gradually returning to normal after the warring factions agreed to end the conflict and seek reconciliation, in Malino, South Sulawesi, early last December.

The Malino Declaration, signed under the central government's sponsorship, also stipulates that the main task of the joint task force is to inform the public of the declaration and that all outsiders considered to have played a role in the conflict must be evicted from Poso.

Sugianto said the recurrence of the conflict last December had something to do with the arrival in Poso of militiamen from Java and Maluku.

The sectarian conflict there first erupted in December 1998 and has since claimed more than 2,000 human lives.

Sugianto said the police had collected a total of 30,314 handmade, as well as traditional guns, from the two warring groups and their supporters over the last three months, but that only amounted to just 75 percent of all the guns owned by the two warring factions.