Police troops shoot dead five attackers in Poso

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)