Poso violence acts of terrorism: Widodo

Poso violence acts of terrorism: Widodo

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs
Widodo Adi Sucipto said that the latest string of violent acts in
Poso regency, Central Sulawesi, could be classified as acts of
terrorism.

"Therefore, the government will hunt down and arrest all of
the perpetrators of these acts and process them accordingly,"
Widodo said in Poso on Tuesday during talks with local community
leaders.

During his three-hour visit to observe the situation in the
troubled regency after a bomb explosion last week, Widodo was
accompanied by Minister of Home Affairs M. Ma'ruf, Indonesian
Military chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, and National Police
chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar.

Widodo said the government would beef up security in the
regency and take into account the views of local people. He also
stressed the need for cooperation between the security forces and
the local community.

"Give your support, such as by voluntarily relinquishing any
weapons and explosives that you might have, and by informing the
authorities about suspicious persons or those who have broken the
law," he said.

What had been happening recently was designed to cause public
unrest in the regency, Widodo said.

A bomb exploded last Saturday morning in a public
transportation vehicle as it passed by a market near a police
station. The bomb killed at least six people and severely injured
a number of others.

The six dead were identified as Darce and Remon, both of whom
died instantly at the scene, Imi Doli and Altin, who died on the
way to the Parigi public hospital, and Yusuf Woku and Nova, who
died in the hospital.

The explosion was the latest violent incident in the past two
weeks in Poso after the decapitation of a Christian village chief
and the shooting of a public minibus driver.

The series of attacks have renewed fears of a possible upsurge
in the sectarian conflict in the regency that started in 2000,
and which resulted in the deaths of at least 2,000 Muslim and
Christians in the regency and forced tens of thousands of others
to flee.

Despite the signing of a government-brokered peace deal in
2002, sporadic attacks have continued.

On Monday, the National Police dispatched 100 officers to the
regency to reinforce the approximately 2,500 personnel who were
sent in earlier.

Police have also stationed two more BO 105 helicopters to
support the security measures, which include arms raids and
random checks on passersby and cars.

Despite the continuing violence, Poso regency's head of
information, Abdul Haris Rengga, said that local people had not
been incited to violence and public activities in the area had
stayed relatively normal.

"There was a bit of shock and little disruptions for some time
after the explosion occurred, but it was just a temporary
reaction," he was quoted as saying by Antara.