Poso refugees in grave danger as mobs threaten

Poso refugees in grave danger as mobs threaten

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An estimated 50,000 mainly Christian refugees fleeing brutal
sectarian violence in Central Sulawesi could be attacked in the
absence of military or police protection, a Catholic priest in
the area says.

Other eyewitness accounts point to scores of dead and
thousands of mainly-Christian homes destroyed at the hands of
well organized, uniformed militia equipped with machine-guns,
rocket launchers and even bulldozers.

Father Jimmy, told The Jakarta Post by telephone from Tentena,
about 40 kilometers south of Poso town, on Friday that more than
50,000 residents and refugees were in danger of fresh attacks
after extremist militia bombarded the villages of Betalemba,
Patiwunga, Tangkura, Sanginora and Debua over the last three
days.

"All houses and other buildings in Sanginora and Debua were
flattened when the terrorist groups attacked the two villages on
Thursday. They are nearing Tentena where around 50,000 villagers
from Betalemba, Patiwunga and Tangkura are taking refuge," he
said.

He said the militiamen would easily capture Tentena as only a
dozen security personnel were stationed in the subdistrict while
a score of security personnel from the Palu Military District and
the Police's Mobile Brigade had already pulled out because of a
lack of logistical supports from the Poso administration.

Father Jimmy said the local administration had "allowed"
militiamen to destroy predominantly Catholic Tentena to make it
similar with predominantly Muslim Poso which had been destroyed
in the past.

He said local religious leaders and security authorities
needed to hold immediate talks to reconcile and work out
emergency steps needed to halt the conflict.

Meanwhile, in Jakarta, Manado Bishop Mgr. Josef Suwatan OSC
called on the central government and security forces to reign in
the armed civilian militias conducting a terror campaign in
Central Sulawesi.

"The civilian militias have killed many local people and
burned down thousands of houses and churches in five villages
located between Poso and Tentena over the last three days," the
bishop told the Post here on Thursday.

Mgr. Suwatan was here to meet government and security
officials to draw attention to the prolonged sectarian conflict
that has claimed more than 2,000 lives since it erupted three
years ago.

The Manado Diocese supervising North Sulawesi, Gorontalo and
northern Central Sulawesi, has established a crisis center with
Muslim and Christian faiths to help end the bloody violence.

"All forms of violence must be halted against local people,
regardless their religion or race," the bishop said.

Mgr. Suwatan questioned the absence of efforts between the
central government and security authorities to restore law and
order in the regency, saying the extremist groups freely killed
local people and destroyed villages.

He claimed the campaign was aimed at destroying communities
and cultures in the area as the armed militiamen targeted people,
homes, churches, mosques and school buildings.

The bishop said hundreds of militiamen using military uniforms
had launched well-organized raids on villages whose populations
mainly comprised Christian people. The rebels, mostly from East
Java, were equipped with AK-47 guns, rocket launchers, bulldozers
and circular saws.

"Both the Police and the Indonesian Military should
immediately take tight measures to control the militiamen and
disarm local people," he said.

Poso Regent Muin Pusadat was not available for comment on
Friday.