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.