Three people detained after Morowali rampage
Three people detained after Morowali rampage
Erik W., The Jakarta Post, Palu, Central Sulawesi
Police in Morowali detained three people for questioning on
Saturday, after an armed group attacked Beteleme subdistrict here
a day earlier, leaving three people dead and five others badly
injured.
A source in Beteleme subdistrict revealed that one of the
three people arrested on Friday afternoon, only several hours
after the attack, was identified as Syarifuddin, a resident of
Beteleme's neighboring subdistrict, Lembar Dua.
The source did not reveal where Syarifuddin was being
detained, only saying that two of the three were being detained
at Lembo Police subprecinct in Lembo district, while another
person was being detained for questioning at neighboring Petasia
police subprecinct.
"None has been declared a suspect yet," the source, a
community leader at Beteleme, was quoted as saying by Antara news
agency on Saturday.
Besides swiftly moving to investigate the incident, the police
have also deployed 200 reinforcements to Beteleme, in order to
ensure security in the area.
In general, the situation in Beteleme remained tense on
Saturday, but police said that it was under control.
The motive behind the attack was not known yet.
The three killed during the armed attack were identified as
Derina Mbai, a local elementary school teacher, Oster Tarioko, an
employee of state electricity company PT PLN and a man named
Bekius.
Bekius died of gunshot wounds, a couple of hours after he was
treated at Beteleme community health center.
The other five residents, who were badly injured, were being
treated at Central Sulawesi Christian hospital in the neighboring
town, Tentena, Poso, some 200 kilometers away from Beteleme.
At least 32 homes of Beteleme residents were burned down by
unidentified attackers during the armed attack, the worst
incident since the of prolonged sectarian conflict that rocked
the neighboring town of Poso two years ago.
Meanwhile, Abdul Kadir, an official with the Morowali
administration, said that the refugees did not only flock to
their relatives' houses, but also took shelter in public
buildings in neighboring subdistricts, such as local health
centers, schools and places of worship.
Datlin Tamalagi, Morowali's deputy regent, visited the
refugees and promised that his administration would immediately
deliver humanitarian aid to the refugees.
Separately, the education authority in Beteleme decided on
Saturday that teaching activities for school students in Beteleme
subdistrict, the capital of Lembo district, were suspended for an
indefinite period due to the bloody incident.