Talks fail to yield progressive measures to end Poso unrest
Talks fail to yield progressive measures to end Poso unrest
La Remy and Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Palu/Jakarta
Muslim and Christian figures from Poso in Central Sulawesi ended
a two-day meeting in a failure to produce effective measures to
quell the renewed attacks in their violence-plagued town.
The delegates in their second round of talks held in the
provincial capital of Palu declined to identify or reveal those
behind a spate of recent attacks, including bombings, across
Poso.
Both rival groups have denied launching attacks against each
other as widespread speculation has surfaced that attackers were
outsiders, who, witnesses said, used automatic weapons.
The meeting, brokered by Coordinating Minister for People's
Welfare Jusuf Kalla, was not expected to be instrumental in
calming the intermittent sectarian fighting, which has killed
some 2,000 people over the last two years.
Only eight of the 23 Christian delegates invited to the forum
showed up, while almost all the 25 Muslim figures asked to attend
the meeting made an appearance.
The low turnout from the Christian faction is believed to have
contributed to the talks' failure to bring about progressive
efforts to stop the violence.
Kalla blamed "transportation problems" for the absence of most
Christian leaders at the meeting.
The Christian faction had issued a statement urging its
leaders to shun the second round of peace talks in Palu in
protest against outbreaks of fresh attacks on its members.
During the meeting, both delegations pledged to work together
along with the military and police forces to help restore peace
and security to Poso.
They also agreed to declare those involved in the unrest there
as sworn enemies, whom they must fight against through prevailing
laws.
The meeting recommended that the civilian population take an
active part in helping authorities maintain peace in Poso and
avoid offering protection to those guilty of provoking violence.
Peace had returned to the town several months after local
Muslim and Christian leaders signed a peace deal last December in
the South Sulawesi hill resort of Malino. But unrest has been
escalating again over the past three months.
As the Palu meeting was about to end on Monday, three people
were found dead with gunshot and stab wounds, while four others
were missing in new violence in Poso, local residents said.
The deaths followed the alleged abductions of seven people by
an armed group of unidentified people who stopped a passenger bus
and a Kijang van on Monday morning in the area between the
Kanyamanya and Moengko villages, said Christian activist
Widyanto.
The armed men stopped the two vehicles to examine the identity
cards of passengers, he told The Jakarta Post.
Security and government officials in Poso and Palu denied the
reported fresh attacks, but confirmed that one other man was
found dead with gunshot wounds on his body in Malei village in
the Lage subdistrict late on Sunday evening.
Two men, including a member of the National Police Mobile
Brigade (Brimob), were also kidnapped by a group of unknown men
on Saturday. Their whereabouts are still unknown.
Last week, gunmen sprayed a bus with bullets, killing an
Italian tourist and wounding four other passengers, all locals.
Groups of armed men have also attacked several isolated
villages in Poso over the past week, setting several homes and
churches on fire.
National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar, who was observing
the Palu talks, said more reinforcements would be deployed in the
district.
He said an evaluation of security conditions in Poso showed
tension had begun to return following a gradual withdrawal of
reinforcement troops in July.
An Army battalion from South Sulawesi and an elite police unit
from Jakarta were dispatched to Poso on Saturday to reinforce the
280 soldiers and 2,120 police officers in town, Da'i said.
He said the police were seeking to identify and capture those
responsible for the recent bombings, killings and abductions in
Poso.
It will take some time to learn the masterminds and
perpetrators of the attacks as the police need to gather
sufficient evidence to incriminate them, Da'i said.
Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto
said his office was prepared to beef up security in Poso if
needed.
Some points agreed on during the Palu peace talks:
* Enforce the law fairly, swiftly, firmly and transparently in
all criminal cases.
* Guarantee the security and safety as well as the welfare of all
community members, including refugees.
* Set up a cooperation body to deal with distributing information
through a website and print and electronic media.
* Encourage locals to be proactive in providing any information
on violence and allowing authorities to handle all legal
procedures.
* Stop all kinds of security disturbances, including provocations
through the mass media, and uncover all cases of violence that
have happened.
* Dispatch police and military forces to conflict-prone areas in
Poso and alternate those on duty.
* Police and military personnel need to adopt a persuasive
approach and use professionalism when handling any problems.
* The central and provincial governments should immediately give
financial assistance to organize a workshop on security.
* Police and military leaders, religious and community figures as
well as signatories of the Malino peace accord should jointly
enforce the law against those possessing, using and producing
firearms and explosives.
* Continue carrying out disarmaments with metal detectors.
* Police and military must forge a cooperation with the Malino
signatories to restore security and enforce the law.
* Related government agencies should implement their social
programs soon in an effort to help restore peace and security.