ABC (8/12/01 5:15:50)
Indonesian Muslims move on Christian city
About a thousand members of a Muslim paramilitary group have approached the
mainly Christian town of Tentena in Indonesia's Central Sulawesi province.
The members of the Laskar Jihad force are reportedly planning to attack the town.
Tens of thousands of people in and around Tentena area have been living in fear of
attack following recent sectarian violence in the Poso district of the province.
In the last two weeks, seven Christian villages have been damaged or destroyed and
at least nine people have been killed in clashes around the towns of Poso and
Tentena.
Jakarta has now deployed five battalions of police and soldiers to the region as part of
a six-month operation to restore security.
8/12/01 5:15:50
© 2001 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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