Is peace in sight in Poso?
Is peace in sight in Poso?
Since Dec. 19 the two conflicting factions in Poso have held
peace talks in Malino, Palu.
It's never too late for something good to emerge out of this
even though the sectarian conflict has claimed many lives and
forced thousands of people to be displaced. Shameful slanders
have also spread even abroad, while facts have been distorted.
We wish the government had taken the initiative to end the
conflict long ago, which is now recorded as a black mark in our
history. If prompt actions had been taken, the number of victims
would certainly have been reduced. The people' sufferings would
have stopped. Slander would not have spread. But, again, it's
never too late to accomplish good things.
The Poso riot erupted in December 1999. These riots could be
said to be the most brutal to date. Thousands of people died only
because of being of different religions. Children were
slaughtered, women were raped and houses were burned. In the Palu
District Court, Fabianus Tibo, one of the butchers, admitted to
having killed at least 40 Muslims. Tibo and his friends,
Dominggus da Silva and Marinus Riwu, have finally been sentenced
to death.
After the court verdict, many parties hoped that the conflict
would stop. It did not. The massacre is still going on.
Yet, the government has not taken any action to stop the
conflict although Muslims have continued to voice their
sufferings. Lately, after the attacking faction was pushed
against the wall, international campaigns started to spread. The
faction has attempted to bring the case to the United Nations and
asked the UN Secretary General to mediate in the conflict. The
government then hurriedly moved in to solve the Poso conflict.
The government's seriousness in overcoming the riots in Poso
should not be spurred into action by pressure from the
international community or one of the factions but by its
awareness of its own obligation. The settlement of the Poso case
has to be followed up with an investigation into the motive and
the main player behind the riots.
The law must be enforced. --Republika