More bombs, weapons found in Poso

More bombs, weapons found in Poso

PALU, Central Sulawesi: Security personnel again found on
Sunday 21 homemade live bombs in Poso Pesisir district during a
door-to-door search for arms, only a day after the discovery of
17 live bombs in the same district.

Besides the bombs, the joint police and military team also
found 27 arrows, a bow and two homemade rifles. All of these had
been hidden by unknown parties under a bridge, and other items
were buried in a cacao plantation belonging to local residents.

They were found in separate places in six subdistricts in Poso
Pesisir district, namely Masamba, Tokorondo, Ratulene, Kasiguncu,
Tiwaa and Masani.

Sr. Comr. M. Rum, the head of Sintuwu Maroso Operation Task
Force, said that security personnel would continue searching for
bombs and weapons until the situation returned to normal in the
troubled regency of Poso. The Sintuwu Maroso operation has been
run by security personnel since last year, in order to prevent
the return of bloody sectarian clashes to the regency.

The clashes erupted in the regency in 2000, killing some 2,000
Muslims and Christians. The situation returned largely to normal
after a government-brokered peace pact in 2002, but sporadic
attacks still occurred until recently in the regency. -- JP