Troops disarm rivals, expell outsiders from troubled Poso

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