Chicken theft blamed for riot in Banggai, two killed

Chicken theft blamed for riot in Banggai, two killed

Irvan NR, The Jakarta Post, Palu, Central Sulawesi

At least two persons were killed, eight suffered stab wounds and
39 homes were burned down during a riot that erupted in Banggai
regency, Central Sulawesi, following the alleged theft of a
chicken, police and witnesses said on Sunday.

Hundreds of local residents fled their homes to the nearby
jungle and other places of safety following the disturbances on
Saturday.

The fighting involved people from the rival villages of Lamo
and Uso in Batui subdistrict, some 50 kilometers from the Banggai
capital of Luwuk, and 660 kilometers from Palu, Central Sulawesi.

The two victims were identified as Yafet Sumang and his son
Iwan from Limo, who both died from blood loss while being taken
to the hospital.

The suspected killer, identified only by his initials as Fs,
is being detained by police in Batui.

Witnesses said that Fs had reported to Yafet that Iwan had
stolen a chicken belonging to the suspect, but Yafet had refused
to accept the accusation against his son.

An argument then ensued and Fs suddenly hit Yafet with his
machete.

Iwan tried to help his father but was also slashed by the
machete-wielding Fs.

The subsequent deaths of Yafet and Iwan incited people from
Lamo to attack the neighboring village of Uso, where Fs hails
from. In their rage, the Lamo villagers set fire to 39 houses in
Uso.

Many residents from Uso were forced to hide in the surrounding
jungle, while some others sought refuge at Batui police station.
Around 260 families fled to neighboring villages to avoid the
possibility of more attacks.

Nasir, who hails from Lamo, said he and his neighbors were not
going to let Fs get away with murdering a father and son over
such a trivial matter.

He demanded that Fs be punished to the full extent of the law
as he had taken the lives of two human beings.

"We want to see him being punished severely. How come he was
carrying a machete -- obviously he was intent on murder. And we
don't believe that Iwan was the chicken thief," Nasir said.

Banggai Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Guntur Widodo was
unavailable for comment as he still at the scene of the
disturbances.

However, Pvt. Badi from Batui police station confirmed the
exodus of refugees from Uso, and said the two feuding villages
were still tense.

Police and military personnel have been deployed to guard Uso
and Lamo to prevent possible revenge attacks.

"The situation is under control and the security forces are
standing guard there," Badi said.

The riot was apparently not linked to the sectarian conflict
in the area as Muslims, Christians and the followers of other
religions live peacefully side by side in Uso and Lamo.

Last Wednesday, people from the predominantly Christian
village of Maranatha clashed with rivals from Sidondo, a mainly
Muslim village, in Donggala regency, Central Sulawesi. One person
was killed and four houses were set ablaze during the
disturbances.

Meanwhile, masked gunmen on Saturday night shot a police
officer, identified only as Pvt. Azis, in the Central Sulawesi
regency of Poso, where some 2,000 people were killed during two
years of sectarian fighting that officially came to an end in
2002, but has erupted sporadically since then.

Azis was shot in the left leg by three armed men in Masani
village, Poso Pesisir subdistrict, Poso Police chief Adj. Sr.
Comr. Abdi Darma said on Sunday.

He said the attack took place when Azis was on patrol in Poso
Pesisir, one of the areas most prone to violence. His attackers
rode on two motorcycles.

Abdi said Azis, despite his wounds, was able to return fire,
but the gunmen escaped into the jungle. Azis believed, however,
that either one or both of the attackers had been wounded as they
left a trail of blood behind them.

The local police chief urged people not to allow themselves to
be incited by the latest incidents.