Thousand flee riot-torn village
Thousand flee riot-torn village
Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar
Tension was still high on Sunday in a village in Aralle district,
some 400 kilometers from the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar,
after two people were reported killed and dozens of homes burned
down in a communal clash over a dispute on the formation of a new
regency there.
Hundreds of residents fled North Aralle village, now
officially part of the recently established province of West
Sulawesi, after it was hit by two days of renewed conflict on
Friday, officials said.
Polewali Mamasa Regent Ali Baal confirmed that some 1,000
residents had fled the riot-torn village to neighboring Natula
village, Mambi district, while hundreds of police officers
evicted the attackers and reestablished control of North Aralle.
The two killed in the incident were identified as Muis, 42,
who was stabbed with a machete and a spear, and a child who was
allegedly trampled to death during the clash, Mambi district head
Ahmad Appa said.
"Based on our data, the death toll is two, namely Muis and a
child, while at least 31 houses and a mosque were set ablaze," he
said.
However, South Sulawesi Police chief Insp. Gen. Saleh Saaf
denied on Sunday reports of casualties in the clash. "So far, no
victims have been killed. Only one person sustained stab wounds
from a spear," he said in Makassar.
The dispute erupted between supporters and opponents of a 2002
law that split Polewali Mamasa regency into two -- Mamasa and
Polewali Mamasa, or Polmas.
Muslim residents from the three districts of Aralle, Tabulahan
and Mambi rejected the split because they would be included in
the newly created regency of predominantly Christian Mamasa, and
feared losing out on jobs or restrictions on religious freedom.
Mamasa regency is now part of West Sulawesi province, which
recently split off from South Sulawesi. West Sulawesi has five
regencies: Polewali Mandar, Mamasa, Majene, Mamuju and North
Mamuju.
Ali Baal said the two-day clash flared up when residents,
mostly Christians in support of the new province, attacked their
Muslim opponents in North Aralle and occupied the village.
The clash was triggered when Andi Jalilu strung up banners
reading "ATM (Aralle, Tabulahan and Mambi) is part of Mamasa
regency", in five areas of the village where residents mostly
opposed to the split lived.
The banners were immediately taken down by the residents, who
also expelled Jalilu from North Aralle.
Jalilu later returned along with hundreds of supporters and
launched an attack on Friday afternoon. North Aralle villagers
fled for safety, as they were unable to repel the attackers.
Saaf said the conflict was provoked initially when Aralle
district head Wahab, who backed the split, was beaten on Sept. 23
by a man from the rival camp.
The South Sulawesi police chief said North Aralle was being
guarded by 265 policemen to prevent further fighting, while
others were hunting down Jalilu and his 11 accomplices for
provoking and perpetrating the clash.
Another suspect, who allegedly financed the assault, has been
identified, Saaf added.
The conflict was the third to hit North Aralle after Law No.
11/2002 was enacted to establish Mamasa regency. In September
2003, three people were killed and dozens of houses razed in a
similar clash. The second violence erupted in July this year, but
no casualties were reported.
Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno was inaugurating West
Sulawesi province on Saturday as the country's 33rd province at
its capital, Mamuju, when the latest unrest broke out.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Hari asked acting West
Sulawesi Governor Oentarto Sindung Moewardi to resolve the
prolonged conflict in the three districts.