Sulawesi governors to meet over Poso clashes

Sulawesi governors to meet over Poso clashes

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi (JP): Governors, local figures and
religious leaders from Sulawesi's four provinces are to meet on
Saturday in an effort to settle the prolonged sectarian violence
in Poso, Central Sulawesi.

South Sulawesi Governor HZM Palaguna said on Wednesday it was
his idea for the meeting and he had chosen Tentena, the area
where fighting in the region first broke out, as the venue.

"We chose Tentena so as to make all those involved in the
violence aware of what they had done on their own land. The
meeting is aimed at settling the dispute and stopping the inter-
religion clashes which have claimed the lives of hundreds of
people," Palaguna said.

Sulawesi has four provinces, North Sulawesi with Manado as its
capital, Central Sulawesi with Poso as capital, South Sulawesi
with Makassar as capital and Southeast Sulawesi, whose capital is
Kendari.

Fighting between Muslims and Christians has plagued the town
of Poso.

The most recent fighting in the town erupted on May 23 this
year and ended only after some 300 people had been killed and
4,000 buildings destroyed.

Political observers have speculated that the conflict in Poso
is part of a large plan 'to tear down' the eastern part of
Indonesia'

They have also said that the violence in Maluku and Irian
Jaya was orchestrated by a certain group of people who want to
see the archipelagic country disintegrate.

Palaguna said the Aug. 12 meeting was expected to be the final
reconciliation meeting. Two similar meetings were held in
Makassar and Manado last month.

"We, the Sulawesi people, do not want to let our land be like
Maluku or Irian. We don't want more violent conflict to take
place here," he said.

A preliminary meeting will be held in Palu on Thursday,
Palaguna said. "We will discuss the detailed issues to be on the
Tentena meeting agenda. We will report the whole thing to
President Abdurrahman Wahid afterward."

Meanwhile Antara news agency reported from Palu on Wednesday
that three people suspected to be the instigators of the Poso
clashes said a general based in Jakarta was behind the conflict.

Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus Soares and Marinus Riwu told the
police that the general, known only by the initial H, was the
mastermind.

In questioning, the three main suspects mentioned two other
generals, also known by their initials R and T.

Chief of Central Sulawesi Police detectives Supt. Andi Ahmad
Abdi confirmed that the suspects had mentioned general H as the
architect of attacks on Muslim pockets in five districts in Poso.

"The suspects told my subordinate that H was the mastermind of
the rioting," Ahmad Abdi said, but did not give details.

It was the general who planned the killings and the burning of
people's homes, Ahmad Abdi said. (27/sur)