ChristianityToday, August 19, 2002
Christian Villages Burn Again in Central Indonesia
Protective armed forces are withdrawn before the attack
By Geoff Stamp, Compass Direct | posted 08/20/2002
The villages of Sepe and Silanca, some 10 miles from the city of Poso, have been
burned to the ground. Reports from several sources confirm that August 12 attacks on
the Christian villages started after armed forces guarding the villages were
unexpectedly withdrawn.
Sepe, with a population of 1,250, was attacked at 6:30 p.m. by a large group of men
dressed in black and firing automatic weapons. Some villagers tried to fend off the
attackers with farming implements and bamboo spears but soon joined the rest of the
villagers in flight.
"The sound of automatic weapons was coming from every direction mixed with the
hysterical voices of mothers calling for their children, and shrieks of fear from the
children," said the Rev. Vence Waani, pastor of the Sepe Pentecostal Church. "The
flames were engulfing the houses. It was a scene of horror."
Waani, his wife, and child were forced to flee the burning village as attackers fired
volleys of bullets behind them. They did not see their newly-rebuilt church burnt down.
By 8:30p.m., the village of Sepe was gutted. The Sepe Pentecostal Church and the
Eklesia Protestant Church were destroyed. The attackers moved on to Silanca where
they followed the same pattern. They chased away the villagers, looted their houses
and then set them alight.
All the Christians from the two villages --some 2,500-- sought refuge in Pandiri and
Watuawu, further south of Poso on the road to Tentena. Their number is now
increased by villagers from neighboring Tambaro and Maliwuko who no longer feel
protected by the armed forces. One report states that four trucks carrying a small
army unit drove to Silanca and Sepe once the attacks were over.
Suspicions of collusion between the armed forces and the Muslim extremists have
grown among Christian leadership. The Rev. Rinaldi Damanik, secretary of the
General Synod and coordinator of the Crisis Center of the Protestant Church in
Central Sulawesi (GKST), has recently spoken out against what he sees as the
authorities' bias against the local Christians.
"For the people of Central Sulawesi, this is exactly the style of the Laskar Jihad and
is what has been happening since the beginning of the Poso conflict," Damanik said.
"Car shootings, bus bombings, attacks in villages, the killing of innocent civilians"
In November and December, 2001, the Laskar Jihad (Muslim extremists) and local
Muslims attacked and destroyed five villages. Sepe was the last attacked and only
partially destroyed due to the defense of the villagers and the timely intervention of
additional armed forces sent by the government.
Annette Hammond, an Australian pastor working to distribute aid in the region, said
she feared the situation is as dangerous now as it was then.
"This is the second time in just over six months that these people have lost everything
they possess and had to flee from their burning village. Have they no right to live in
their own land? We need to pray for the Christians in Central Sulawesi," she said.
These recent attacks have mocked the government rehabilitation plan and destroyed
people's faith in the Malino Peace Agreement signed between Muslims and Christians
last December.
Eight Christians were killed near Malei prior to the Sulawesi and Sepe attacks. All
Christian houses in Malei and neighboring Tongko were destroyed. A team from the
GKST attempted to recover eight bodies but was blocked. They had to return to the
outskirts of Poso to negotiate with the authorities for the release and transport of the
bodies.
According to reports, both Muslim and Christian communities are now preparing for an
ensuing conflict. Groups of men are active in defending their villages, and roadblocks
are common.
"While the Christians check passing cars for weapons, the Muslims check for
identity. And if they find a Christian, they will take him or her away. We fear that
many have been killed in this way," said Mona Saroinsong, the coordinator of the
Crisis Center of the General Synod of Protestant Churches in North and Central
Sulawesi.
"Many Christians have been reported missing," Saroinsong said. "We know of one
man who was killed in the Kayamanya district of Poso when returning to his house on
his motorbike. He was stopped by an armed Muslim mob, and when they found out
he was a Christian, they killed him."
She also mentioned two other incidents. Five Christians were killed while traveling on
a bus to Gorontalo, and the husband of a teacher from Tagolu is also feared dead. He
was on a bus to Palu and has disappeared.
Copyright © 2002 Compass Direct
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