Fresh armed attacks in Poso target Balinese migrant community

Irvan NR, The Jakarta Post, Palu, Central Sulawesi

Four people were killed in two separate attacks on a single village in the Central Sulawesi town of Poso over the weekend, apparently targeting Balinese migrants.

A bomb also exploded at a traditional market, but no casualties were reported.

Balinese migrant I Made Simson was killed on Saturday evening during an attack on Kilo Trans village, Poso Pesisir by unidentified gunmen. Most of the residents in the village are Balinese migrants.

Another Balinese migrant, I Ketut Sarma, died on Sunday morning from serious gunshot wounds to his stomach he had sustained in Saturday's attack.

It is the first ever attack on the Balinese community since prolonged sectarian clashes between Muslims and Christians that erupted in 1999 reached a ceasefire in December 2001 through a government-brokered peace deal. At least 2,000 people have been killed in the bloody conflict.

A witness, Udin, said the attackers opened fire at around 7 p.m. on Saturday at Kilo Trans, located about 50 kilometers north of Poso. Sarma and Simson rushed out, as they realized that the attackers were also firing at their houses.

Simson was killed almost instantly, while Sarma, who was hit in the stomach, was rushed to a local hospital, Udin said.

"We never thought that Balinese would fall victims to the attack," Udin said. "We have never been involved in any violence here."

Sarma and Simson were buried at Kilo Trans on Sunday.

Adj. Sr. Comr. Agil Assegaf, spokesman for the Sintuwu Maroso security restoration task force, said the attackers were riding RX-King motorcycles, but provided no other details.

To guard against further attacks, a police unit has been deployed to Kilo Trans.

Meanwhile, a low explosive bomb went off at a traditional market in Kilo Trans at around 10 p.m., also on Saturday. No one was killed or injured in the blast, which could be heard within a two-kilometer radius.

The police bomb squad arrived and sealed the area to check for any additional bombs.

A half-hour after the explosion, another unidentified group opened fire at the predominantly Christian village of Marowo in Ulu Bongka subdistrict, killing two people -- Ruslan Terampi, 33, and Ritin Bodel, 36. Four others -- Lumin Layagi, 26, Sandra Pinkar, 37, Yusmin, 23, and Yunan, 46 -- were injured in the attack.

The victims were praying in church when the attackers opened fire, witnesses said.

Poso Police immediately took chase, but it is not known whether the attackers were caught. Two companies of police reinforcements from Central Sulawesi and East Java are expected to arrive soon.

Attacks on villagers resumed in October of this year, initiated by a group of masked gunmen, claiming 10 lives. Police reinforcements were dispatched to Poso, but the violence has not subsided, although six alleged attackers have been shot dead and 16 others arrested.

A group of armed men launched a new attack and a bomb exploded on the second day of Idul Fitri on Wednesday, but no fatalities were reported.