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.