Troops disarm rivals, expell outsiders from troubled Poso

Tiarma Siboro and Badri Djawara, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Poso

Authorities said they have begun security operations to restore order in violence-torn Poso, Central Sulawesi, pledging to pacify local armed groups and expel armed outsiders who are terrorizing people in the regency.

Comr. Gen. Sjahcroedin Pagaralam, the operations assistant to the National Police chief, had already claimed that the situation in Poso had quieted down somewhat since operations began on Monday.

Reports coming out of Poso on Tuesday also indicated that the situation had calmed with one local even stating that residents were able to sleep soundly on Monday night.

Speaking to journalists in Jakarta after Tuesday's Coordinating Meeting on Security and Political Affairs, Sjahcroedin said four battalions of police and soldiers (estimated at between 3,000 to 4,000 personnel) arrived there on Dec. 1.

In their efforts to restore law and order, Sjahcroedin said their immediate priority would be "to conduct raids on groups in possession of firearms and then to deport all of the outsiders from the region to their places of origin."

He insisted that security personnel would pursue a "persuasive approach", but warned that any resistance or refusal to surrender arms would be dealt with harshly.

Sectarian conflict between Christians and Muslims has raged on in Poso since late 1999. Some 2,000 people have died in the 14,433 square kilometer regency.

After intermittent periods of calm, violence again hit the some 260,000 residents in the regency in October when perhaps thousands of armed militants from other provinces arrived.

There have been reports that the latest situation was exacerbated by infiltration from certain extreme groups originating from outside the regency. Many suspect the Java-based Muslim group, Laskar Jihad.

Some believe that the proximity of the province to Maluku and North Maluku has also been a contributing factor.

Those two provinces have been hit by one of the bloodiest and most sustained cases of sectarian violence in the country in many years.

Confident that the situation in Poso would improve further Sjachroedin said that because order had been restored the government had already made plans to mediate reconciliation talks.

The timing of the meeting, planned for next Tuesday in Malino, South Sulawesi, seems to coincide with the climate of forgiveness which is a feature in the Muslim holiday of Idul Fitri which begins two days earlier.

The meeting will be facilitated by the office of the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare.

"If we stop the prolonged sectarian conflict there, we (the government) will immediately begin recovery operations," Sjachroedin promised.

Meanwhile Poso residents were able to enjoy some respite from the clashes in the past two days.

Armed mobs were no longer seen roving the streets of Poso town, replaced instead by government soldiers and police orderly patrolling the area.

Most residents, however, still chose to limit their outside activities, particularly at night.

Councilman Erawanto of the local Crescent Star Party when asked about the latest developments seemed optimistic saying there were signs that peace may be returning.

"We were able to sleep soundly," he said, adding that many residents were able to get back to work or tend their rice crops.

Poso police precinct chief Adj. Sr. Comm. Unggung Cahyono, who also heads the security restoration operation, however could not say when the sweeping for arms against civilian groups would begin.

He said that currently, authorities were still peacefully trying to persuade people to surrender their weapons by approaching local community figures and placing public announcements throughout the regency.

"Even though no one has yet surrendered a weapon, security is has been restored," he claimed. "We're trying very hard so that not a single drop of blood is shed again in Poso."

Steps to resolve the sectarian conflict in Poso: * Disarm militiamen and fighters of the conflicting camps through persuasive means, by force if necessary only. * Expel unwanted militiamen from the regency. * Hold meeting on Dec. 18 to reconcile conflicting groups * Rehabilitate damaged assets