The Jakarta Post, 8/6/2002 5:31:18 PM
Fresh violence erupts in restive Poso
JAKARTA (JP): - Violence has rocked conflict-ravaged Central Sulawesi in the past
three days, leaving at least seven people injured and forcing more than 2,000
residents to abandon their homes, DPA news agency reported on Tuesday.
A worker at the Christian Church in Poso regency told the agency that a group of
unidentified people attacked Malitu village early on Tuesday. More than 200 villagers
fled.
A similar attack took place early Sunday when unidentified people attacked Matako
village in Poso, firing gunshots and burning several houses to the ground, wounding at
least seven people, according to the church worker, who identified himself only as
Arantuto.
According to him, about 2,100 residents from Matuto and Malitu villages flee their
homes because of the attacks.
The violence between Muslims and Christians in Poso, around 1,600 kilometers
northeast of Jakarta, dates back to early 1999.
A spate of explosions has rocked Poso since Sunday, one day after a local Muslim
figure, who had been missing for two days, was found decapitated on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Crescent Star Party (PBB) faction in the People's Consultative
Assembly called on the government on Monday to do its best to solve the security
problems of Poso, Ambon and North Maluku.
According to the PBB faction, the government should cope with the core of the
problem by, among other things, bringing the suspects to court.
Darmansyah Hussein of the faction said the longer it took the government to solve the
problem, the more victims would fall and people's suffering would deepen, leading to
reduced public trust in the government.
"Last but not least, their sense of nationalism might also vanish," he said according to
Antara.
Darmansyah also called on the Assembly to issue a decision pressing the
government to work harder to solve the security problems in the areas.
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