Police begin disarming Mamasa rioters
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.