Profiting from violence in eastern Indonesia

Profiting from violence in eastern Indonesia

Santi W.E. Soekanto, Contributor, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The deaths of at least five Muslims and three Christians in
the Central Sulawesi district of Poso on Tuesday were absolutely
needless and abhorrent, but probably came as no surprise to some
people. Chief political minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has in
fact warned of an impending, even deadlier violence in Poso and
areas of Maluku in the coming days.

He should be aware, as should others who have been watching,
of the pattern of ongoing violence between Christians and Muslims
in the country that has developed over the past several years.
The coming days, leading up to the Idul Fitri and Christmas
celebrations, are promising as much peace as that found in a
powder keg.

More than 2,500 people have been killed in Poso over the past
three years while thousands of others have been left with both
physical and psychological scars. More than 9,000 have lost their
lives in the butchery in both provinces of Maluku since the first
eruption of violence on Jan. 19, 1999, while hundreds of
thousands of others are still languishing in refugee camps.

Yet both sides have promised that more ugliness is to come.
Do they realize that they could very well be putty in someone's
dirty hand?

Let's set out some of the reasons for Yudhoyono's, and our,
fears of more violence. First, both Poso and the Malukus are
entering their third anniversary of ongoing violence in December
and January. Unbelievable though it may sound, there are actually
people who want to celebrate with more violence.

Secondly, there have been reports of both sides trading
threats of expulsion. For instance, the Christians have
reportedly planned to celebrate Christmas in the Muslim-
controlled city of Poso, the capital of Poso district, some 1,600
kilometers northeast of Jakarta. The Muslims in turn declared
their wish to hold Idul Fitri prayers in Tentena, the stronghold
of the Central Sulawesi Christians.

The third reason for an impending, larger-scale violence is
the presence of people intentionally taking part in the violence.
These could include the Laskar Jihad, which has indeed moved some
of its men from Maluku to Poso recently, and who have been
involved in the violence since their arrival.

On the other side, evidence and testimonies presented during
the court trial of Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus da Silva and Marinus
Riwu -- the three men sentenced to death for leading the killing
of hundreds of Muslims in the Walisongo Boarding School in mid-
May, 2000 -- have revealed the existence of similarly brutal
fighting forces on the Christian side.

"I counted more than 170 bodies from seven a.m. to five p.m.,"
one witness said, referring to the mutilated corpses found
floating in the Poso River after the attack.

Humanitarian workers recorded not only the discovery of the
bodies but also survivors' accounts of the attack at the
Walisongo School. The mosque in the vicinity was splattered with
blood. One retired district attorney, who now works as an
intelligence officer at the provincial military headquarters,
said the victims were tortured before being killed.

Women reported not only having to witness the slaughter of
their husbands and sons, but also being stripped and sexually
assaulted. "I wept when I found evidence that young girls were
also raped," the retired district attorney said.

The depth of hatred felt for the other side is simply
saddening and scary -- and this is the fourth reason.

When in July 2001 13 Muslims were tortured and killed in the
Buyung Katedo hamlet, inside the Christian enclave of Sepe-
Silanca, the Christian Crisis Center of Central Sulawesi said the
butchery was an offensive launched against a "Muslim base camp".
The 13 victims included children as young as one-year-old, women
and elderly men, up against hundreds of black-clad assailants.

The fifth -- which must be by far the most compelling reason
for the protracted violence in the region -- is the presence of
those profiting from the violence. They want to keep the violence
aflame so as to ensure continued profits.

This is not to name names, because there would simply be too
many, but let us divide them into at least two groups -- those
benefiting indirectly, and those profiting immediately from the
violence.

The first group consists of those who are happy to see the
violence chipping away at Indonesia's edges. These are the ones
who might gain a political and economical advantage over
Indonesia -- the way some parties are enjoying the results of the
separation of East Timor -- if the country were to be torn apart
by violence in Aceh, Poso, Maluku, North Maluku, Papua, Sampit,
Pontianak and elsewhere.

Most people can sense a "grand design" to bring Indonesia to
its knees by fomenting violence and unrest across the
archipelago. President Megawati Soekarnoputri's fears of a
disintegrating Indonesia are not without basis.

What benefit is to be gained from a divided Indonesia?

Despite decades of plundering and abuse at the hands of its
former rulers, the country's wealth of resources is still simply
awe-inspiring. Poso is an example of that wealth. The National
Maritime Council reveals that in 1998 there were 32 sites of
large untapped oil deposits in the northern Tomini Bay -- which
could reportedly last for 1,200 years. This is also a very
fertile land. Some people have described Poso as "a piece of
heaven". One need only throw away a fruit seed on a plot of land
and wait until harvest time, one local said recently.

The district is also an ebony exporter. In addition, 30
percent of Poso's some 7,000 square kilometers is currently given
over to cocoa plantations, an important export for the region and
the nation. Poso is also rich in palm oil plantations, copra and
cloves.

Control over Poso means having control over that wealth.

The second group consists of individuals who actually make
short-term financial profits. The individuals who sell weaponry
and ammunition, for instance, are the first to profit from the
violence. One need only enter Poso to realize how well armed the
Mobile Brigade and Army personnel are -- some 2,100 are currently
posted there depleting the Poso Administration's resources as it
is having to spend Rp 1 billion (more than US$ 100,000 at the
current rate) to feed and accommodate these troops every month.

Indeed, as of August, the word was that you could find weapons
almost anywhere in Poso -- in one man's roof, in another's car
boot, underneath the loose-fitting blouse of an elderly woman, in
a child's school bag.

The next batch of profiteers comes in various guises and
shapes. As of August, a strict demarcation line has been drawn
between areas designated as Christian and Muslim. No Muslim,
unless they are related in some way to the military or other
powerful institutions, can enter areas such as Tentena or Sepe as
it would mean death. On the other hand, the Christian civil
servants who still have to work in the Muslim-controlled Poso
city can only enter under the escort of paid security officers.

In short, movements of people and goods are almost impossible
unless they are related to the security authorities.

There may be many other parties who profit from the violence
in eastern Indonesia -- and it will continue unless the warring
parties stop to think how they are being manipulated.