Security officials in hot water over latest Poso incident
Security officials in hot water over latest Poso incident
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Senior lawmakers in the House of Representatives lashed out at
top security officials following the latest terror attacks in
Poso, Central Sulawesi.
Some even demanded the removal of the officials because of
what they said was the officials' inability to ensure security in
religiously-divided Poso.
"We should learn from Japan where a minister who fails to
resolve a crucial problem will resign from office," said House
deputy speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno from the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI), which is one of the
opposition parties.
He singled out for particularly criticizing the Coordinating
Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo A.S.,
Minister of Home Affairs Muh. Ma'aruf, Indonesian Military (TNI)
chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, and National Police chief Gen.
Sutanto, whom he said should be held responsible for the return
of violence to the region, despite a government-sponsored truce
at the end of 2001 aimed at ending a two-year Muslim-Christian
conflict that killed over 1,000 people.
The President is currently in the process of evaluating the
performance of his Cabinet amid high public expectations of a
reshuffle.
Senior House security commission member Yuddy Chrisnandie
called on the President to set a deadline for the security
authorities to end the brutality in Poso.
"There has to be a rewards and punishment mechanism. If they
are unable to perform, then we must remove the provincial police
chief and provincial military commander," he said, referring to
Insp. Gen. Oegroseno and Maj. Gen. Ari Budi Sampurno of the
Wirabuana Military Command, which oversees military affairs in
the Sulawesi region.
House Speaker Agung Laksono was also infuriated by the latest
terrorist outrages in Poso, and called on security officials to
work harder to return stability to the region.
"The government must take action, not talk only," he said.
Agung said that he would ask the House security commission to
summon Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security
Affairs Widodo AS in the near future to seek explanations
regarding the preparedness of the security authorities in dealing
with terror threats.
The statements came after Poso residents were shocked by the
shooting of two teenage girls in the town on Tuesday evening by
unidentified men more than a week after masked assailants
beheaded three Christian schoolgirls late last month.
Susilo said that the series of attacks in Poso was aimed at
"provoking religious conflict in Poso."
Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng said that the
President had ordered the security forces to bring the
perpetrators to justice, and urged residents not to launch
revenge attacks.
Meanwhile, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Djoko Santoso confirmed
that the Indonesian Military (TNI) had apprehended five men who
were believed to be the perpetrators of the beheadings.
But he said that none of them were TNI members.
Earlier reports said that the Army's 714th Battalion in
Central Sulawesi had apprehended five men, including a retired
soldier, in connection with the beheadings.