TNI wants emergency status imposed in Poso

Tiarma Siboro and Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto called Thursday for the imposition of either a state of civil emergency or martial law in the violence-plagued regency of Poso, Central Sulawesi, to put an end to renewed violence there.

Arguing that local civilian authorities were no longer able to control the violence, Endriartono told the government not to hesitate in placing Poso under either emergency status.

"Interventions by other parties have worsened the situation in Poso because they come there with religious and ethnic sentiments.

"But the local government can not stop them because under the civilian order, every person has the rights to go there," Endriartono said at the end of a two-day visit to the war-torn province of Aceh.

He said that a state of emergency would give more power to the local government to quell and prevent attacks, including imposing a curfew or banning foreigners or outsiders from the province.

Endriartono was apparently referring to the rumored presence of several armed foreigners in Poso, who were traveling there on tourist visas.

At least 12 members of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus), specializing in intelligence, were dispatched to the region to investigate the reports, military sources said.

Last week, an Italian tourist was shot dead when a group of unidentified gunmen ambushed a passenger bus in Poso. It remains unclear whether he was among the foreign troops being investigated by the Kopassus personnel.

Effendi Choiri, a legislator from the National Awakening Party (PKB), was one of several members of the House of Representatives backing Endriartono's call for a state of emergency.

He said the spate of recent attacks showed a failure on the part of the local police to control the security situation and restore peace.

Effendi said troops could be involved in quelling attacks if asked by police and that it should be in line with prevailing regulations.

The issue of armed assailants roaming Poso remains a mystery as security authorities have failed to reveal their identities and whereabouts or arrest them.

Their failure has increased speculation that security forces have played a role in the renewed attacks, which broke out in the last three months.

The speculation followed the fact that the violence has been escalating after the 12 Kopassus members were sent to Poso, while at the same time the local security forces have made no arrests despite a boost in troop numbers.

Christians, who have suffered the brunt of the attacks, have revealed that the assailants carried automatic guns and were dressed in black with a white sash tied around their waists.

Meanwhile, Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Zainal Abidin Ishak denied on Thursday media reports that the Kopassus had arrested three foreigners in Poso.

"It's not true," provincial police spokesman Agus Sugianto told Antara, quoting a statement by Zainal.

Ishak said that if Kopassus had arrested foreigners in Poso, it would have been made known to the police. "Since there is no coordination with us so far, that means the case has never occurred," he said.

Sugianto also denied a rumored rift between police and military forces in the conflict-torn area. "The accusation is aimed at creating trouble and it is completely untrue," he said.