Poso police to expel 300 aliens

PALU, Central Sulawesi: Police will crack down on aliens suspected of fomenting sectarian unrest in Poso in the second phase of a campaign on security and the restoration of order.

Palu Police chief Insp. Gen. Zainal Abubakar said that 300 outsiders, including Laskar Jihad members, had been targeted in the operation, which would start on Jan. 7.

Zainal said most of the foreigners were from Java and South Sulawesi, many of them members of the Laskar Jihad militia. They would have their homes searched and be questioned.

"Suspected troublemakers and those in possession of fake ID cards will be tried," he said. "Many of them are suspected of illegally procuring local ID cards by colluding with local officials.

The operation is part of a security and order restoration operation following a recent peace agreement between Muslims and Christians, who had been embroiled in three years of fighting that have claimed about 2,000 lives.

In the first phase of the operation, police have confiscated 4,895 home-made rifles from the two warring parties. --JP