The Jakarta Post, September 01, 2006
Outgoing chief says Poso needs answers on religous riots
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Outgoing Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Oegroseno warned Thursday that
violence could break out again in Poso, saying he believed the real masterminds
behind sectarian killings there in 2000 were still at large.
He warned that the conflict would not be resolved by the execution of three men --
Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus da Silva and Marinus Riwu -- convicted for leading an
attack that killed some 200 Muslims.
"The mystery is lingering. What really happened behind the riot hasn't been totally
disclosed," Oegroseno said after attending a farewell and welcoming ceremony at
National Police headquarters in Jakarta.
Oegroseno was among 31 police officers being replaced. Lawyers and activists
questioned whether his removal from office was connected with his efforts to
investigate the violence.
They said it might also be related to a recent delay in executing the three men.
"We are still investigating 10 out of the 16 people who allegedly masterminded the
riot. I acknowledge that we haven't done the maximum, though," Oegroseno said.
The trio on death row submitted the 16 names to the police as the true masterminds
of the attack. The convicts have denied playing key roles in the violence, and recently
submitted a second request for clemency from President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono.
Oegroseno asked his successor, former Banten police chief Sr. Comr. Badrootin
Haedi, to continue investigating the case.
"The local residents, Muslims and Christians, should support police efforts to uncover
the truth. They should tell the police the true story related to the riot," Oegroseno
said.
He said the police should talk with residents, adding that it might not be easy to get
them to speak about the riot since it happened six years ago.
Oegroseno will now head the communications and electronic unit at National Police
headquarters.
Asked whether Oegroseno's replacement had something to do with the delayed
executions of the trio, National Police chief Gen. Sutanto said, "If an officer does not
act firmly, then the community will be victimized again."
Activists from Advocacy for Justice and Peace Indonesia (PADMA), an NGO
supporting the trio's legal defense, staged a rally outside National Police headquarters
to protest Oegroseno's replacement.
PADMA questioned why the decision was made while Oegroseno was investigating
the riot and keeping local residents calm.
"We appreciate all the hard work from Brig. Gen. Oegroseno, as well as the police, to
reveal the true story of the Poso riot," PADMA director Norbert Betan said in his
speech.
PADMA also demanded that the newly appointed Central Sulawesi police chief
continue investigating the case.
Lawyers for the three Christians said Thursday that the execution of their clients
cannot proceed until the President has responded to the request for clemency.
"It is the constitutional right of Tibo and friends to demand a presidential clemency
and while a decision has not been made, an execution should not take place," Roy
Rening, a lawyer for the three men, told AFP
He said lawyers filed the second clemency request earlier this week through the
district court in Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi. The President declined their first
request 9 months ago, however, and by law a second cannot be made until two years
after the first rejection. (07).
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