Poso case serves as 'a warning to the nation'
Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The latest incident in Poso, which rocked the fragile peace in the Central Sulawesi town, serves as a warning to the nation that tough measures are needed to maintain security, a senior minister said on Friday.
Referring to the bomb explosion, which left four bus passengers dead and 17 others injured, as an act of terror, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said zero tolerance should be shown to whoever intended to disrupt peace.
"'Strong measures' means giving no leeway to any movement that attempts to justify the use of terror," Susilo said after the inauguration of new TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto at the State Palace.
He added state institutions related to political and security affairs, including the TNI, National Police and Ministry of Home Affairs, had, so far, operated within their remit.
A bomb exploded on a public bus on the Palu-Poso-Tentena route on Wednesday, five months after a peace deal had been signed last December in the South Sulawesi town of Malino to end years of sectarian conflict between Christian and Muslim groups in Poso.
The alleged bombers remain at large and unidentified, with Susilo and National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar offering the unfinished investigation as their excuse.
"Give the police a chance to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the motives and the mastermind ... that cannot be accomplished in one or two days," Susilo appealed.
The explosion was the latest incident to test the durability of the peace agreement.
Peace in the neighboring province of Maluku had hung in the balance, despite a milestone reconciliation pact, until a new operation to restore security commenced last week. Maj. Gen. Djoko Santoso of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) was named the officer in charge, becoming the first two-star general to head the Maluku Military Command.
Susilo said the government was increasing security measures in Poso and called on the Central Sulawesi government to immediately deal with any unusual event or movement likely to damage the peace agreement.
Da'i said the bombing was part of a provocation by those who did not want the people of Poso to live in peace.
The police have deployed a forensic team from Makassar, South Sulawesi, to investigate the type of bomb and whether it was intentionally detonated.
"In the Eastern (Indonesia) area, people are known to have explosives. They often use them when fishing," Da'i reasoned.
Poso has been hit by communal conflict since 1999, and hundreds of lives have been lost.
The military, religious and community leaders in Central Sulawesi speculated that the violence had been perpetrated by outsiders.