Poso weapons come from Ambon: BIN

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