Peace, calm yet to fully return to riot-hit Poso
Peace, calm yet to fully return to riot-hit Poso
MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi (JP): Peace and calm have yet to
fully return to riot-hit Poso with the possibility of fresh
outbreaks.
Wirabuana Military Command spokesman Lt. Col. Mulyono told The
Jakarta Post on Wednesday that in general the situation was under
control, however, based on police predictions, the town was not
completely stable, despite a peace deal signed by the Sulawesi
governors.
"That is why the Cinta Damai troops, whose term of duty will
end on Sept. 6, will not be withdrawn. We will just introduce new
personnel to replace the old ones," he said, adding that there
were now almost 3,000 military personnel present in the area to
safeguard the town that has been ravaged by sectarian clashes.
According to Mulyono, the fresh troops would include personnel
from the Cavalry, Airborne 700 and Combat Troops. "The first
dispatch will be in the first week of September."
The first fracas broke out in Poso last year. The latest
disturbances erupted in May 23 this year, with at least 300
people killed and 4,000 buildings destroyed.
Anxious about the situation, Sulawesi governors signed a peace
accord for Poso on Aug. 13, with recommendations for security
guarantees for refugees, psychological and infrastructural
rehabilitation and fair law enforcement.
The governors then demonstrated their solidarity to
President Abdurrahman Wahid.
Mulyono said the decision to retain the military troops in
Poso had drawn a positive response from the refugees. "More and
more refugees have returned to their villages. Now a total of 60
percent of some 60,000 refugees, spreading in several areas in
Sulawesi, have returned. Most of them returned from Palu, Central
Sulawesi and Mangkutama, South Sulawesi."
The return of the refugees was expected to gradually
reactivate the pulse of the town and the economy will
progressively return to normal, Mulyono said.
Meanwhile violence, including the burning of residents'
houses, continued in another riot-torn town, Luwu in South
Sulawesi, on Wednesday.
Parepare Police chief Sr. Supt. Mardjito confirmed the latest
disturbances but said only one house was destroyed and set ablaze
by the rioters. "Everything is under control," he said.
As many as 22 alleged rioters have been arrested but the man
suspected of masterminding the trouble is still being hunted.
Police said that the man has been identified. (27/sur)