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)