Sectarian clash claims one life in Central Sulawesi

Sectarian clash claims one life in Central Sulawesi

Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Palu, Central Sulawesi

Sectarian fighting erupted in Donggala regency, Central Sulawesi,
leaving one person dead, two others seriously injured and four
houses burned.

The clash took place on Wednesday evening between residents
from two rival villages in Sigi Biromaru, about 260 kilometers
from Poso regency, where some 2,000 people were killed in two
years of religious fighting until 2002.

However, tension still engulfed the two villages of Maranatha,
mainly populated by Christians, and Sidondo, where Muslims are
dominant.

Dozens of police officers were deployed from Donggala to the
scene to prevent further clashes in the religiously divided
villages, while many local residents fled to safer areas and
others guarded the location, brandishing spears, arrows and other
sharp weapons.

The dead person was identified as Samuel Malatinggi, 56, from
Maranatha, who was shot in the right leg with a homemade gun,
police said.

The two severely wounded were Lamborongan, 56, from Maranatha,
shot in the head and chest, and Tengge, 42, from Sidondo, who
sustained gunshot injuries to the right arm.

Samuel was buried on Thursday after an autopsy at Undatu
general hospital, while the injured victims are receiving medical
treatment at separate hospitals.

Residents at Maranatha said the clash was triggered by the
alleged beating of a farmer from Maranatha by a man from Sidondo.

The victim later reported the case to other villagers in
Maranatha, who then formed a guard in their area. However, a mob
from Sidondo stormed Maranatha and burned houses there.

At the time, Samuel Malatinggi, chairman of the Maranatha
representatives board, tried to stop the arson but was suddenly
shot dead.

Meanwhile, Jiwa Laulasa, 70, from Sidondo, said he had been
stopped on Jan. 18 by a group of armed men from Maranatha, who
then stabbed his right arm without good reason.

Others believed the fighting was sparked by a long-standing
need for revenge.

In 2002, Maranatha residents clashed with their rivals from
Kotapulu, another mainly Muslim village, in which two houses were
set alight.

It was not clear if the clash was linked to fighting in Poso,
which was often hit by sporadic attacks by unknown people after a
peace accord in February 2002.

On Wednesday, a joint police and military team found 47 rounds
of ammunition hidden in a cacao plantation in Tojo Una-Una
regency, a day after the team uncovered 27 bombs and several guns
on a plantation in neighboring Poso.

The bullets reportedly came from the Army's weapons
manufacturer, PT Pusat Industri Angkatan Darat (PT Pindad).

The two discoveries indicate that there are still many
civilians in possession of firearms, bullets and bombs in Poso,
said team spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Agil Assegaf.

"In order to find more firearms and bombs, the police and
military will intensify sweeps of those places where these items
are allegedly being stored," he said.

The team was questioning the owner of the plantation in Tojo
subdistrict.

Agil said the police and military were carrying out the
weapons sweeps as part of a security operation in Poso, which
began in early January.

He said the joint operation would focus on several districts
where much of the violence of the past several years was
centered, including Poso Pesisir, Poso Kota, Pamona Utara and
Ampana.

Security authorities in Poso regency suspect that Ampana had
become the base for groups organizing attacks in Poso. Most of
the perpetrators of an attack on Beteleme village last year came
from the district.

"Ninety percent of the perpetrators of the attack were from
Ampana," Agil said.