Police begin disarming Mamasa rioters
Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar
Police have arrested an man alleged to be behind recent communal violence in Mamasa, West Sulawesi, and have begun seizing firearms and traditional weapons from warring villagers.
Andi Jalilu, the Salu Tambung village head in Aralle, was captured by security forces combing a nearby forest for suspects on Wednesday, South Sulawesi Police chief Insp. Gen. Saleh Saaf said in Makassar.
He said Andi along with 11 other suspects had been wanted by the police since Saturday, a day after he allegedly provoked and led an attack on residents in the North Aralle village, who refused to join the recently established Mamasa regency.
At least three people were killed in the attack. The conflict then spread into two neighboring villages on Monday and Tuesday and more than 1,500 people fled the area.
Saleh said Andi had erected several banners in five locations across North Aralle village on Friday, each reading "ATM (Aralle, Tabulahan and Mambi subdistricts) is part of Mamasa".
The banners angered villagers in North Aralle, who mostly opposed the creation of the Mamasa regency. They took the banners down and expelled Andi from the village.
Andi later returned with 11 supporters, who attacked the village.
Saleh said the police had confiscated about 50 homemade firearms, along with 100 spears, machetes and arrows from the feuding villagers.
The conflict followed the enactment of a 2002 law splitting Polewali Mamasa (Polmas) into two regencies -- Mamasa and Polmas. The predominantly Muslim residents of the Aralle, Tabulahan and Mambi districts refused to join Mamasa, a mainly Christian regency.
Tension remained high in Aralle and Mambi on Wednesday, although the earlier outflow of people meant many villages in the area were nearly deserted.
More than 460 police and soldiers have been deployed in the conflict-torn area to prevent the violence from escalating. Some officers stood guard in locations prone to attacks on Wednesday while others searched for the perpetrators.
Aralle and Mambi residents criticized security forces for not taking immediate action against the armed groups, which they said allowed the troublemakers to launch more attacks.
"They (the pro-split residents) have attacked us and burned down our houses but firm action is not taken against them. What's the use of police carrying guns if they cannot protect us," Usman Said, of Uhailanu village in Aralle, said.
Saleh said he had ordered the police not to fire at the warring villagers because they were civilians, not enemies of the state.
Saleh on Wednesday met with West Sulawesi caretaker governor Oentarto Sindung Mawardi and Wirabuana military chief Brig. Gen. Sulcham to discuss efforts to end the fighting.
Also at attendance were the five regents in West Sulawesi; Ali Baal of Polmas, Said Saggaf of Mamasa, Muhammad Darwis of Majene, Al Malik Pababari of Mamuju, and Abdullah Rasyid of North Mamuju.
The meeting agreed all members of the warring parties should be arrested to end the conflict and pledged to rebuild destroyed houses in the area and provide assistance to the refugees.
In the long term, the West Sulawesi administration planned to make Aralle, Mambi and Tabulahan into a new regency divided from Mamasa, Oentarto said.