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.