The Jakarta Post, November 28, 2001
Clash erupts after church burned in troubled Poso
Badri Djawara, The Jakarta Post, Poso
Fresh religious fighting broke out in the Central Sulawesi riot-torn town of Poso on
Tuesday in retaliation to the earlier bombing and burning of a church by rival Muslims
in the regency, police said.
No casualties were reported, but the town was plagued by renewed religious tensions
over the clash between Muslims and Christians.
The riot lasted for more than one hour, from 2:30 p.m., at Betalemba village in Poso
regency. As local authorities subsequently imposed tighter security, the situation
remained tense.
Poso Police precinct chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Unggung Cahyono immediately went to the
riot site, his staff said. "It is true there was a clash in Betalemba. Pak Cahyono is
heading there," a police officer told The Jakarta Post.
Witnesses said the fighting was triggered by the burning of the Betany Church,
located on Jl Kalimantan, around 50 meters from the Poso regent's official residence.
Early on Monday, one of the large churches in Poso was bombed and burned to the
ground, allegedly by a Muslim mob. Despite the huge blast, there were no reports of
casualties during the incident, which caused an estimated loss of tens of millions of
rupiah.
The attack destroyed the roof and walls of the bombed church. Witnesses said there
was no immediate clash after the huge blast, as security forces quickly arrived to
control the situation.
A witness said the bombing of the church occurred one day after a neighboring house
was set ablaze by unidentified persons, who are still at large.
Cahyono said the police had yet to identify and arrest the suspected bombers.
He said the church was burned down following the arrival of Muslim paramilitary
fighters in the regency.
However, members of Laskar Jihad (holy war fighters) denied being responsible for the
bombing. "Why should we bomb a church? It could even disadvantage our struggle,"
one Laskar Jihad fighter said.
Last Saturday, two residents, Wisnu and Samsuddin, sustained serious gunshot
wounds after being involved in a shooting incident with a group of unidentified people
on Jl Kalimantan.
The two victims are still undergoing intensive medical treatment at the Poso public
hospital.
More than 2,000 people have been killed since the sectarian conflict exploded in May,
2000, and dozens from the two conflicting groups have been put in jail for their
involvement in the killings.
Fabianus Tibo, 55, Marianus Riwu, 43, and Dominggus da Silva, 37, were sentenced
to death after they were found guilty of committing a series of mass killings between
May 2000 and June 2000. The Supreme Court rejected the trio's appeal recently.
All contents copyright © of The Jakarta Post.
|
