Poso falling back into cycle of violance

Poso falling back into cycle of violance

Irvan NR, The Jakarta Post, Palu, Central Sulawesi

Security forces escorted public vehicles traveling through Poso
regency, Central Sulawesi, following the disappearance of a civil
servant and a wave of renewed violence, amid the deployment of
reinforcement forces, Poso Police said on Tuesday.

On Monday, Husain Garusu, a 46-year-old local civil servant,
was reported missing. He was last seen traveling aboard a
passenger bus from the provincial capital of Palu to Morowali
regency, via Poso.

The bus was stopped by three armed men at Kuku village in
North Pamona, Poso, according to police and villagers.

Poso Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Abdi Dharma said officers had
so far only found a pair trousers allegedly belonging to Garusu
in the search for his whereabouts. "We will continue to look for
him," he said.

Around 100 police officers arrived on Tuesday morning in Poso,
bringing the number of security forces -- including soldiers --
stationed there to over 3,200.

To prevent further attacks targeting commuters, police and
soldiers have formed a tight guard around public transportation
vehicles traveling within and outside of Poso.

Security escorts have been assigned to buses on specific
routes, including the Palu-Poso-Makassar, Poso-Bungku, Poso-
Morowali and Poso-Luwuk routes.

The new measure was implemented following reports that several
villages in the Lage and North Pamona subdistricts had put up
road blocks, and that villagers had even stopped passing vehicles
for security checks.

Meanwhile, roads leading to Tentena, a predominantly Christian
town, was reopened on Monday after being closed several days in
case of recurring violence.

Some local residents, fearful of attacks, canceled road trips
to their South Sulawesi hometowns, where they had planned to
celebrate Idul Fitri with family.

Siska, a migrant from the neighborhood of Tatura in Poso, was
among those affected by the heightened security situation.

"We had decided to go home to Polopo (South Sulawesi) in a
four-car caravan via North Pamona. But we finally canceled the
trip, because we are afraid for our own safety," she said.

Solmi, head of the Central Sulawesi transportation office,
confirmed that the heightened security in Poso forced many people
to cancel or delay travel over land since last week, with many
opting to fly instead.

Central Sulawesi Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus Sugianto
said Poso residents had requested security escorts for all
vehicles traveling inside and out of town.

However, he claimed that security in Poso was generally under
control in spite of the latest incidents across the regency.

On Saturday night, the police found three bodies identified as
treasurer of the Christian Church of Central Sulawesi (GKST)
Oranye Tajoja, 50, and two other Christians -- Yohanis Tajoja,
alias Buce, 35, and Delfis Lingkuliwa -- in Poso Pesisir.

The bodies were discovered as police and soldiers were
tracking down masked gunmen blamed for a series of attacks last
month in Poso and Morowali, in which at least 13 people were
killed. Police believe the perpetrators intended to inflame
sectarian sentiments again to serve their own political ends.

Security forces have shot dead six suspects in gunfights
during their search and captured 17 others, who are being charged
under the Antiterrorism Law. Officials have attributed the Poso
attacks to the al Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah regional terror
network.

Last Sunday, a crowd of around 300 Muslims besieged the
Central Sulawesi Police station to protest the fatal shooting of
a suspect, Hamid Sudin, wanted in connection with the October
attacks.

Up to 1,000 people have been killed in the two-year sectarian
conflict that broke out in 2000 in Poso. The government brokered
a peace deal in December 2001, but sporadic bloodshed continues.