Protest marks Poso conflict anniversary

Protest marks Poso conflict anniversary

Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Palu

Some 250 residents observed the 7th anniversary of the Poso
conflict on Wednesday by staging a protest outside the Central
Sulawesi Police Headquarters.

The three-hour protest, initiated by the Poso Center
organization, was aimed at reminding people of the conflict,
which started in December 1998 but escalated in 2000, killing
over 2,000 people and leaving 17,000 families homeless.

Following the conflict, many security disturbances rocked
Poso, from the May 2005 Tentena bombings to the beheading of
three Christian schoolgirls in October this year and mysterious
shootings.

"The security disturbances show there are human rights
violations in Poso," said Poso Center coordinator Yusuf Lakaseng
in his speech during the protest.

He said the security disturbances happened because the cases
were not taken seriously by the authorities.

The protesters also demanded that the government immediately
set up a joint fact-finding team to uncover those responsible for
the conflict and subsequent cases, including a high profile graft
case related to the distribution of aid to people displaced by
the sectarian conflict.

The protesters alleged that Andi Azikin Suyuti, the then
Social Welfare Office chief, who was also the project's chief
officer, embezzled billions of rupiah from the fund.

Yusuf claimed that their investigation showed the money also
went to several officials in the province and in Jakarta.

The police have so far named five suspects in the case,
including Andi. The graft case centers on the construction of
almost 1,300 houses in Poso regency after the conflict. The local
government was given Rp 6.4 billion (US$640,000) for the
construction, but it was later discovered that a portion of the
funds had been diverted by government officials and private
contractors for their personal gain.

Meanwhile, Wednesday's protest was also used by religious
leaders, including priest Jimmy Tumbelaka, to urge President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to order the Central Sulawesi
Prosecutor's Office to postpone the execution of three men --
Fabianus Tibo, Marinus Riwu and Dominggus da Silva -- convicted
of mass killing during the sectarian clashes.

He said the three men were key witnesses in the Poso conflict,
who knew those responsible for the incident.

"If they're executed, the masterminds behind the Poso conflict
will be buried with them. So we call on the President to postpone
the execution until the masterminds are found," Jimmy said,
adding that the authorities had never questioned the 16 people
who Tibo identified as having involved them in the sectarian
conflict.