The Jakarta Post, November 21, 2005
Palu attackers targeted couple, say police chief
Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Palu
Police investigating the shooting on Saturday of a Christian couple in the Central
Sulawesi capital of Palu have found evidence leading them to suspect the victims
were targeted by the attackers.
Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Oegroseno said on Sunday the couple had
been followed since they left a house of worship where they had attended a sermon.
Oegroseno said the police had collected evidence from the crime site, including
rounds of ammunition and hoods, which were used by the attackers to cover their
faces.
"The attackers rode a motorbike and shot the couple from close range," said
Oegroseno, whose rank as a policeman was raised last week.
But he admitted the police had encountered difficulties in tracing the owner of the
Yamaha motorbike as the two assailants had switched off its light during the attack.
"This is an act of terror, instead of just an ordinary crime. We will charge the
attackers under the antiterrorism law," Oegroseno said.
"I believe the attackers are part of a well-organized group that aims to destabilize the
province."
Novlin Pallinggi, 37, and her husband Pudji Laksono, 45, were the latest victims of
violence in the province after previous attacks in Palu and Poso, some 150 kilometers
east of the provincial capital. They couple were shot on Saturday evening while riding
a motorbike to their house in Bumi Roviega housing complex.
Pudji is a lecturer at Tadulako University.
Doctors of Undata General Hospital removed a bullet from his chest on Sunday, but
his wife remains in a critical condition. Doctors have been unable to dislodge two
bullets from her chest and ribs.
Saturday's shooting took place only a day after three teenage girls were shot by
unidentified assailants in Palu. One of them was killed.
Palu council speaker Andi Mulhanan Tombolotutu condemned the series of attacks,
saying the assailants were targeting other areas as their efforts in Poso had not led to
conflict between Christians and Muslims.
Andi was referring to the beheadings of three Christian schoolgirls and the shooting of
two girls in Poso prior to and after Idul Fitri.
The police are investigating the attacks and have arrested some people, including
former soldiers and police officers, in connection with the cases. None of them have
been declared as suspects so far.
"I hope people in Palu, regardless of their religion, can stand strong against
provocation and together fight terrorism, which has become our common enemy,"
Andi said.
Poso was the scene of a bloody conflict between Christians and Muslims between
2000 and 2001, when sectarian clashes claimed more than 1,000 lives.
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