BBC, Tuesday, 23 January 2007, 07:18 GMT
Security tight after Poso attacks
Security has been stepped up on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, a day after a
shoot-out that left at least 12 people dead.
Schools have been closed and extra police have been deployed in the restive town of
Poso.
The shoot-out happened as police searched for suspected Islamic militants in the
area.
Sulawesi has long been the scene of violence between Christians and Muslims.
Sporadic attacks between the ! two sides have continued despite a peace deal signed
four years ago.
Jungle search
During the police raid on Monday, at least 19 people were arrested, and bombs and
ammunition were seized.
[PHOTO: VIOLENT PAST. - Previously known as Celebes, Sulawesi is Indonesia's
fourth largest island - 80% of residents are Muslim, while 17% are Christian - A
December 1998 brawl in Poso led to months of religious violence in which hundreds
died]
The security forces said that violence broke out, leaving at least 11 militants dead, as
well as one police officer.
A number of militants are thought to have got away, and police reinforcements are
searching the nearby hills and jungle areas to try to apprehend them.
"The governor has told the fugitives to surrender themselves, but I don't know how
many of them will do it," said Central Sulawesi provincial spokesman Jethan Towakit.
Police say some of the hunted militants are suspects in the 2005 beheadings of three
Christian girls in Poso.
Both sides of the religious divide have been tense in recent months, since the
execution of three Christian milit! ants in September.
More than 1,000 people are believed to have been killed during two years of unrest
between 1998 and 2001, triggered by a brawl between Christian and Muslim gangs.
© BBC MMIV
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