Poso remains tense, buildings ablaze

PALU, Central Sulawesi (JP): Tension remained high in the town of Poso, Central Sulawesi, as a church and a local labor training center, located in different subdistricts, were set ablaze on Monday morning.

Fires razed Bethesda church, located in Gebang Redjo subdistrict, and the training center, situated in Ranononcu.

However, it was unclear whether the fires had something to do with prolonged communal clashes in the areas.

Poso police confirmed the fires but declined to give further details.

"We have yet to investigate the causes of the fires," an on- duty officer at Poso Police headquarters said.

On Saturday, a building belonging to Pancasila Muslim Foundation was also torched.

The officer, asking for anonymity, said both Poso Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Djasman Baso Opu and his deputy Comr. Wahyono were not available to disclose any information on the fires.

Separately, coordinator of Poso refugees, Yus Mangun, said in Palu that the local government faced additional burdens with the arrival of around 2,500 Poso refugees.

Earlier reports said that two police posts in Sayo and Tangkura subdistricts were attacked by armed groups, on Tuesday and Thursday respectively. At least five people were killed in the two incidents.

Yus said Poso refugees were accommodated in the local sports stadium and the local Youth National Committee building.

Around 20,000 people, refugees of last year's killings in Poso, were currently sheltering in the two buildings. Up to 400 people were killed in Muslim-Christian fighting last year. Villages were destroyed and thousands of people were left homeless.

"The increasing number of people seeking refuge in Palu will add further burden to the provincial administration," Yus said, adding that calls from the authorities to remain calm and ignore provocations were ignored.

"The refugees are too afraid to return to their home towns because of the insecure conditions there."

In a related development, officers at Central Sulawesi Police were tightlipped over the questioning of two local officials whose names were included in the list of 16 names claimed to be responsible for the killings of Muslims in Poso riots. The list was handed over by the convicted mastermind behind a number of riots, Fabianus Tibo, who, along with two other people, Marinus Riwu and Dommingus da Silva, were sentenced to death on Thursday.

The two officials whose names were on the list were Yahya Patiro, assistant to Central Sulawesi provincial administration and Edy Bungkudapu, a secretary at the local council.

On Monday, police questioned Bungkudapu for three hours at police headquarters.

He said afterwards that he was questioned over his knowledge of Tibo and told police that he barely knew Tibo.

"I never knew Tibo and I am not involved in the May 2000 killing," he said.

"There are certain parties that want to knock me over, they want to ruin my career," he said. (24/emf)