Poso weapons come from Ambon: BIN

PALU, Central Sulawesi: Chief of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) Syamsir Siregar confirmed on Thursday that illegal weapons, currently circulating in the troubled regency of Poso, had come from a police arsenal in Ambon city, Maluku province.

The weapons, assault rifles and handguns, were now in the hands of civilians throughout Poso regency, he stated.

The people, who likely were involved in the religious conflict in Ambon in recent years, stole the weapons from the arsenal during sectarian battles in the war-torn city of Ambon in 2000 and later sent the weapons to Poso, where there has also been quite a lot of Christian-Muslim bloodshed in recent years. "We have confiscated several weapons from civilians in Poso and we have identified that those weapons originated in the police arsenal in Ambon city," said Syamsir during a meeting between BIN officials and the Central Sulawesi provincial administration.

According to Syamsir, the most recent seizure of illegal weapons occurred in the Pendolo area on the border between Poso regency and South Sulawesi province.

Based on intelligence data, Syamsir said he believed that there were still many weapons in the hands of civilians in Poso, and so BIN was planning to step up measures to retrieve the guns.

It is hoped that by disarming the population, it would reduce the potential for further bloodshed in Poso. Poso was rocked by sectarian violence in 2000 and it has been estimated that some 2,000 people lost their lives. -- JP