Shooting in Palu, no injuries reported

Shooting in Palu, no injuries reported

Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Palu

There was a shooting on Thursday morning in Palu, the provincial
capital of Central Sulawesi, but no one was hurt in the incident.

The shooting sent panicked residents hurrying home or into
nearby buildings for refuge.

Police officers quickly arrived at the scene, near the
Hasanuddin mall, and taped off the area. The shooting took place
about 500 meters from Central Sulawesi Police Headquarters.

The area soon became congested with traffic as motorists
slowed down to get a look at what was happening.

A police officer, Chief Brig. Philipus, said he was on his
motorcycle when he heard three gunshots. "The gunshots were
loud."

He drove to the spot where he thought the gunshots came from,
but found nothing. He reported the incident to the Palu Police,
which immediately dispatched investigators to the scene.

Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Oegroseno and Palu
Police chief Sr. Comr. Guntur Widodo also arrived at the scene to
oversee the investigation.

An eyewitness, Suwandi, said he saw a Daihatsu pickup truck
driving on Jl. Dr. Wahidin and the gunshots seemed to come from
the vehicle.

A shooting on Nov. 19 in Palu left two people, Puji Sulaksono,
a lecturer at Tadulako University, and his wife Novlin Palinggi
seriously injured. The two are now being treated in Jakarta.

Palu is some 300 kilometers from Poso, the scene of fierce
religious violence that broke out in 2000. Though a peace pact
was signed in 2002, sporadic shootings and bombings continue in
Poso, and have spread to Palu.