Police troops shoot dead five attackers in Poso

POSO, Central Sulawesi (JP): At least five people attacking the police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) troops in the village of Toyado in Lage district, Poso regency, were shot dead on Thursday.

Poso Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Djasman Baso confirmed the clash, but declined to go into details.

Djasman said attacks on police troops and villagers had been conducted sporadically by unidentified assailants.

"We have found it difficult to anticipate. The area of Poso is very large and it is not easy for police troops to cover all of its corners," he said.

The situation in Poso was still not under control on Thursday due to the recurrent clashes. Daily activities have still not returned to normal with most schools, offices and markets remaining closed on Thursday.

"The trans-Sulawesi highway is still fragile, especially the Makassar-Mangkutana-Tentena-Poso route. Unknown armed groups have been intercepting cars using the route," he said.

Central Sulawesi Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus Sugianto concurred, saying that limited availability of communications devices had obstructed the security officers from responding swiftly.

He also said that transportation had posed a major problem.

Agus said earlier that Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Zainal Abidin Ishak had officially requested the assistance of six companies of police troops and four companies of Army troops from North Sulawesi Police headquarters and South Sulawesi Military Command.

According to Agus, some 15,000 Army and police personnel are now safeguarding Poso.

With the escalating tension in Poso, at least three factions at the local legislative council have suggested that civil emergency status be declared in the regency. They also demanded that Poso regent Muin Pusadan and Central Sulawesi governor Aminuddin Ponulele resign for failing to curb the violence.

The legislators said that the renewed violence in Poso was politically motivated. The criticism took place after the appointment of Poso regency secretary Awad Al-Amri.

Legislators claimed that the governor and regent, who recommended the appointment, had gone against community sentiment by appointing a Muslim to the post.

The blame

The provincial and regency administrations' failure to settle the conflict between Muslims and Christians in Poso has frustrated both warring parties, who now blame each other for causing the situation to deteriorate.

Chairman of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) of the Central Sulawesi chapter, Sofyan Farid Lembah, said on Wednesday that the Christian groups had ruined peace deals the groups had agreed to.

"They (the Christians) have refused to reconcile. On many occasions they have broken the peace deals," Lembah said.

Lembah also asserted that the Christians were still aspiring to rule the regency as they did 20 years ago, with most key posts in the administration held by Christians.

Rev. Renaldy Damanik said in a separate interview on Wednesday that a Christian delegation of 30 people from Tentena was attacked by Muslims while traveling to the legislative council.

"The most sickening event was that the police troops aimed their guns at the 30 people and shouted bad words to them," Damanik said, adding that the attack took place in the village of Sayo.

Damanik said that the attack on Christians by Muslims in the village of Maleu Lage on July 1 had triggered the new violence in Poso. In the attack, two Christians were killed and 160 houses torched, forcing 1,670 people to flee the area, Damanik said.

Damanik also criticized the government for being too sluggish in dealing with the violence.

"The Poso regent must resign for that," he said. (24/sur)