Mosques, churches set ablaze in Poso town

Mosques, churches set ablaze in Poso town

JAKARTA (JP): The situation in Poso, Central Sulawesi, has
heated up over the past several days, with a number of mosques
and churches being set ablaze, Antara reported on Saturday.

It was reported that the latest incident occurred on Friday
night, when a mob burned down Al-Ikhwan Muslim Mosque in the
village of Padanglembara, Poso Pesisir district.

The fire, first spotted at about 10:30 p.m., was believed to
have started in the rear of the mosque.

Security personnel stationed some 500 meters from the mosque
were unsuccessful in their efforts to put out the blaze, hampered
by a lack of fire extinguishers and strong winds.

The mosque was destroyed by the fire, but there has been no
report of casualties.

Poso Military chief Lt. Col. Dede K. Atmawijaya confirmed the
incident, speculating the mosque was burned down in retaliation
for the recent burning of a church in the village of Moengko Baru
in Poso Kota district.

There are reports that two other mosques and a church have
also been set ablaze. The mosques, which were burned on Tuesday,
were located in the villages of Patiwungu and Tangkura, both in
Poso Pesisir district. Bethesda Church in Gebang Rejo, Poso Kota
district, was burned on Monday.

Sources told Antara the burning of the houses of worship was a
prelude to another round of violence between Muslims and
Christians in Poso.

Since an attack on the Sayo Police post on April 3, rumors
have been circulating in Poso that a certain, unidentified group
would attack churches, mosques and residential areas, the sources
said.

Three people, including a police officer and a local woman,
were killed in the attack on the police post. The policeman and
the woman were reportedly killed after performing the predawn
prayer at a mosque near the post.

"In response to the Sayo incident, a church in Moengko Baru
subdistrict was burned down, and this was answered with the
burning of the mosque in Tangkura village," Atmawijaya said.

Up to 200 people have been killed in religious violence in
Poso since May last year. Thousands of others have fled their
homes.

The news agency said that on Friday, people gathered around
the office of the Kawua subdistrict head in Poso Kota district
and in the nearby village of Tagolu.

Security forces and locals were told to anticipate violence in
the area. However, as of Saturday afternoon, there have been no
reports of serious clashes in the subdistrict or its neighboring
villages.

A resident of Tagolu village said many Christians were
gathered in the area for Good Friday and Easter. (emf)