North Sulawesi ready to ward off violence
North Sulawesi ready to ward off violence
MANADO, North Sulawesi (JP): North Sulawesi police have been
intensifying training and stepping up city patrols following the
governor's warning of possible sectarian violence and rioting.
Operation control command chief at the North Sulawesi Police
headquarters, Sr. Comr. Gordon Mogot, said on Friday that nobody
would allow riots to take place in the province.
North Sulawesi has been dubbed one of the nation's "most
peaceful" provinces following the country's recovery from a
series of riots in 1998.
"Shooting training, improvement in the procedures for handling
reports and the expansion of intelligence networks have been
implemented to suppress any unexpected incidents," Gordon said.
Last Thursday, North Sulawesi deputy governor Freddy Sualang
said that rioters had identified the province as their next
target for provoking unrest, following on from massive violence
which recently overwhelmed Sampit in Central Kalimantan.
He said that the recent drop in the price of copra could be
used as an instrument by people to instigate sectarian riots in
the province.
Gordon said that the police took Sualang's warning seriously.
"City patrols have been stepped up to 24 hours since then, with
the most intensive patrol being conducted between 9 a.m. and 3
a.m."
He said that police units in all districts and villages had
been instructed to be on alert, depending on the situation in
their respective areas.
"The closed security system has also been optimized," he said,
citing that monitoring the activities of organizations related to
religious and ethnic groups had been intensified. "But we have
yet to contact the National Police headquarters in Jakarta
regarding the deputy governor's statements."
Deputy governor Sualang said last week that his statements
were meant to remind all provincial authorities that anything
could happen unless vigilance were maintained. "All sectors must
be properly protected," he warned.
Sualang reiterated that economic problems at the grassroots
level, such as the increase in fuel prices and the drop in copra
price in the province, could be exploited by certain people to
create unrest.
"It's just a warning. So far there have been no indications of
unrest in North Sulawesi province." (38/sur)