Two killed in Poso gunfire

Two killed in Poso gunfire

Fresh gunfire erupted in the Central Sulawesi
town of Poso late on Sunday, killing two civilian residents and
wounding several others.

"One of the fatalities was identified as Yafet, a retired
Indonesian Military (TNI) officer, while the other victim and the
injured are still being identified by the police," Antara
news agency quoted Udin, a resident of Kayamanya subdistrict in
Poso, as saying.

The gun battle, which erupted on Sunday evening, continued
through to Monday and had reportedly extended to the nearby
subdistrict of Tegalrejo.

Local police, with the help of TNI troops, have been deployed
to the disputing area.

"There are hundreds of police and TNI personnel deployed in
Ranonuncu and Tegalrejo subdistricts to halt the gun battles,"
said a duty officer at the Poso Police precinct office, as quoted
by the news agency.

The officer also confirmed that two civilian residents had
died in the crossfire.

The situation in Poso was tense on Monday and government,
school and business activities operated at a lower pace than
usual.

It was the third gunfight in Poso over the past week. The
first incident occurred on Nov. 7 in the subdistricts of Sayo and
Kayamanya. No fatalities were reported.

The second gunfight erupted on Nov. 9 in Gebangrejo
subdistrict, killing a civilian resident and wounding four
others. --Antara