Poso Police accused of extensive violations

Poso Police accused of extensive violations

Ruslan Sangadji, Palu, Central Sulawesi

Three Poso community organizations have complained that police
personnel committed at least 83 human rights violations over the
last two years. The report has dealt a severe blow to the
National Police, who are celebrating their 58th anniversary.

The Center for the Development of Law and Human Rights Studies
(LPS-HAM), the Protestant Church Crisis Center and the Poso Fi
Sabilillah Mosque Youth Organization reported that the abuse
included beatings, threats at gunpoint, shootings and
intimidation by security personnel.

The cases were swept under the carpet for two years and were
reported only recently due to fears that local residents and
members of the last two organizations above could be a target of
police retaliation.

"We were afraid to report this because, from previous
experience, people who did report incidents were treated as
suspects by the police," said Maharaja Botilangi, from Tentena,
North Pamona district, Poso regency.

Local people and the two organizations finally plucked up the
courage to report the cases after they received backing from the
LPS-HAM and a guarantee from top officials of the Central
Sulawesi Police that their headquarters would investigate any
human rights abuses by subordinates and they would protect people
who had made abuse allegations.

Besides these abuses, other acts of violence, including
mysterious shootings, the bombing of intercity buses, arson,
attacks and killings, remain unsolved until now.

Central Sulawesi LPS-HAM chairman Syamsul Agus said that
whenever there was a violent incident in the ravaged town of
Poso, police would simply make excuses that they were still
searching for perpetrators. "But until now, no one has been
arrested. The police are not working hard enough to resolve
conflict in Poso," said Alam.

The LPS-HAM has reported the cases to the National Commission
on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and urged it to form a task force to
investigate them.

The LPS-HAM has also taken legal action in relation to the
government's failure to resolve the Poso conflict. "We have filed
a class action against the President, the National Police chief,
the Central Sulawesi governor and police chief, the regent of
Poso and the Poso Police chief. They are the ones responsible for
resolving the Poso conflict," claimed Alam.

Sectarian violence rocked Poso four years ago, when some 2,000
Muslims and Christians were reportedly killed in the conflict.
The scale of conflict has subsided, although there have
occasionally been deadly attacks recently on local people by
unknown perpetrators trying to revive the conflict.

The tension has until now prompted the National Police to
maintain a heavy police presence in the area, although that then
created another problem: allegations of frequent abuse of power
by police personnel.

Separately, Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Taufik
Ridha said the police had received several reports of violence
allegedly committed by security personnel, and the cases were
still being dealt with by a military tribunal in Manado, North
Sulawesi province.

Some have been convicted. "Those proven guilty will be
dismissed or demoted," said the Central Sulawesi Police chief on
Thursday.