Paras Indonesia, October, 19 2006 @ 05:26 am
MPR Speaker Links Priest's Murder To Bush Visit
By: Roy Tupai
The murder of a Christian priest by an unidentified gunman in Palu, Central Sulawesi
province, where religious tensions have flared following last month's execution of three
Catholic militants, has prompted a range of reactions, with People's Consultative
Assembly speaker Hidayat Nurwahid going as far as claiming it was an effort to make
Indonesia look bad ahead of US President George W. Bush's planned visit to the
country next month.
Reverend Irianto Kongkoli, secretary general of the Central Sulawesi Church Council,
was shot in the head at 8.15am Monday (16/10/06) while shopping for ceramic tiles at
a store with his wife and four-year-old daughter. The masked gunman, who used a 9
millimeter Colt revolver, fled the scene on a motorbike with an accomplice.
Hidayat said the priest's murder and a recent series of bombings in Central Sulawesi
were part of a plot to tarnish Indonesia's image in the international community by
making the country appear unsafe and susceptible to terrorism. He did not mention
the possible identity of the perpetrators, but said there is a "side" that wants to further
worsen Indonesia's image by the time Bush visits the country after attending the
November 18-19 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Vietnam.
"All of this is terrorism for the Indonesian nation. I'm worried that this incident [the
murder] took place because there is a side that wants to capitalize on the momentum
of Bush's visit to Indonesia," he was quoted as saying by detikcom online news
portal.
Central Sulawesi Governor Bandjela Paliudju said he believed the outspoken priest
was murdered by radicals simply because he had led protests against last month's
executions of the three Christian militants.
Hidayat, who is founder of the Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), said he
believed the Central Sulawesi violence was being engineered to make the international
community shun Indonesia and thereby damage the investment climate. "This is still
only an assumption. But it's clear that the perpetrators are people who do not love
Indonesia," he said.
He urged police to work harder and seek assistance from local religious and
community leaders to end the waves of violence that have hit Central Sulawesi over
the past nine years. "This [murder] was the latest in the continuing terrorism and
should send police a message to do their homework," he said.
Killings & Bombings
Sectarian violence between Central Sulawesi's Muslim and Christian communities
began in December 1998 and escalated after a military-backed Islamic paramilitary
group, Laskar Jihad, entered the province in August 2001. About 2,000 people were
killed until a truce was signed in December 2001. No members of Laskar Jihad were
jailed over the carnage, but three Christians - Fabianus Tibo, Marinus Riwu and
Dominggus da Silva - were sentenced to death after being convicted of responsibility
for a series of murders of Muslims between May and June 2000. The three were
executed by firing squad on September 22. Critics said the three had been made
scapegoats for wealthy Protestant and Muslim politicians, as well as senior military
officers, who played major roles in instigating the Central Sulawesi unrest as they
struggled for political and economic power. Authorities have failed to punish the
masterminds of the violence.
Despite the 2001 truce, sporadic violence has continued in the form of numerous
bombings and murders in the cities of Poso and Palu, with most of the targets being
Christians. Following are just a few of the incidents:
- On October 14, 2006, a bomb exploded next to the Poso regent's office. On
October 8, a bomb exploded at a house of a former local legislator.
- In September 2006, Christian protesters killed two Muslim men in Poso.
- In December 2005, seven people were killed by a bomb blast at a Christian
market in Palu.
- In November 2005, a 20-year-old Christian woman, Supriyanti, was killed in
Palu by machete-wielding assailants in Palu. A day later, a Christian couple
was shot in the same city. In the same month, a Christian schoolgirl and a
Muslim schoolgirl were shot while sitting outside a house in a Christian
neighborhood of Poso.
- In October 2005, three Christian teenage girls were beheaded while walking to
their school on the outskirts of Poso. Police in May 2006 arrested three men
over the killings and later showed a video of their confessions. One of the men
admitted to being a member of the Poso Mujahidin, which has been blamed for
several murders and church bombings.
- In May 2005, a bomb blast killed 24 people at a market in the predominantly
Christian town of Tentena, near Poso.
- In July 2004, Reverend Susanti Tinulele was shot dead while preaching at a
church in Palu.
- In May 2004, prosecutor Fery Silalahi was shot dead in Palu. The Christian
prosecutor had worked on cases involving the prosecution of members of
regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah. Two men were arrested over the
murder.
- In November 2003, Central Sulawesi Christian Church treasurer Reverend
Yohanes Tadjoja and his associate Orantje were shot dead outside Poso.
Police Investigation
The police, military and State Intelligence Agency (BIN) have been strongly criticized
for failing to maintain security in Central Sulawesi.
A few hours after Irianto was murdered, National Police chief General Sutanto said
police had already identified the killers and "we are now trying to locate them".
On Tuesday he said police had discovered the motive behind the murder. "We will
disclose it after the perpetrators have been captured. We will inform the media if there
are new developments," he was quoted as saying by state news agency Antara.
He declined to say whether the perpetrators were locals or from another province.
"Just wait and see. We cannot make guesses. We will tell you if we have found the
perpetrators," he said. He also refused to name the suspects. "If we reveal their
names they will run away."
Sutanto said it was unnecessary to send police reinforcements to Palu because
locals have not been provoked by the murder. "We are thankful that people there have
remained unprovoked by the incident," he said.
The police chief said the shooting was an effort to reignite the conflict in Central
Sulawesi. "This incident is proof that there are certain parties who want to disturb the
already conducive situation in Poso. Therefore, let's not be easily provoked by
irresponsible parties who want to reignite the Poso conflict," he said.
Sutanto on Wednesday sent a team of senior National Police officers to Central
Sulawesi for a three-day mission to provide "guidance and supervision" to local police
investigating the murder.
He denied that Irianto's murder was due to weak police intelligence. "It is not weak.
We have identified all of the perpetrators and are pursuing them," he said.
He declined to comment on calls for the creation of an independent fact-finding team
to investigate the Central Sulawesi violence. "I don't think I can comment on that. It's
up to the people. The police are just working seriously to find the perpetrators," he
said.
National Police spokesman Bambang Kuncoko said the murder was similar to killings
conducted by "the Hasanudin group". Hasanudin, a member of Jemaah Islamiyah and
the Poso Mujahidin, entered Central Sulawesi during the 1998 killings and married the
daughter of a local Islamic cleric. He was arrested in May over last year's beheading
of three schoolgirls in Poso. His group has also been linked to past killings of
Christian preachers.
"Yes, we know this [possible connection] from the method of his attacks, his modus
operandi and his targets. [Irianto's murder] resembles the work of Hasanudin's group,"
said Kuncoko.
He said police were yet to question Hasanudin over Irianto's killing. Police have so far
questioned at least six witnesses, including Irianto's wife, his driver and staff at the
store where the shooting occurred.
Presidential Peace & Christian Fears
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has ordered authorities to quickly find Irianto's
killers and bring them to justice. He said the ongoing unrest in Central Sulawesi would
not be an impediment to Indonesia's impending entry to the United Nations Security
Council as a non-permanent member. "This certainly will not obstruct our efforts to
seek world peace and security through international forums," he was quoted as
saying by detikcom.
Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo Adisutjipto said
the government condemned Irianto's killing as an act of terror. "We have specifically
ordered the intelligence agencies, the police and the military to immediately find the
perpetrator," he said. He concurred with the governor's opinion that Irianto was killed
because he had strongly opposed last month's executions.
The Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) urged the government to improve
security in Central Sulawesi. "The incident indicates that the government is not yet
capable of protecting its citizens," said PGI chairman Andreas Yewanggoe. He called
on Christians not to be provoked into conducting revenge attacks against Muslims.
Father Benny Susetyo, executive secretary of the Indonesian Bishops' Conference
(KWI), said said the killing showed that state security forces have failed to ensure
public safety. "It seems human beings in this country are no longer of any value," he
said.
He said the government's authority would be greatly undermined by its inability to
prevent terrorism and murder in Central Sulawesi.
Bad Intelligence
Deputy parliament speaker Sutardjo Suryoguritno said BIN chief Syamsir Siregar
should be replaced because the intelligence agency has failed to end the cycle of
violence in Central Sulawesi. "This is because of BIN's failure to detect terrorist
actions. BIN's chief must be replaced," he was quoted as saying by detikcom.
Suryoguritno, who is a member of ex-president Megawati Sukarnoputri's Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said the government must take firmer action
against the perpetrators of terrorism in Palu and Poso to prevent the violence from
spreading. "The government must be firm. The government knows their names but
never takes action," he said, adding that more violence could be expected over the
religious holidays of Idul Fitri and Christmas.
Siregar, who shows no intention of resigning, has also warned there will be more
violence. He said security must be increased because BIN had received information
that "some groups" are planning to instigate riots over the post-Ramadhan holiday
period of Idul Fitri.
Legislators from the Democrat Party and Golkar Party have demanded swift action to
prevent further killings. "Do not only make statements but act firmly," said Golkar
member Djelantik Mokodompit.
Democrat legislator Boy W.W. Saul from the Democrats Party said the killing should
never have happened because the government had formed a special team to deal with
the Central Sulawesi violence. He said the mastermind or perpetrator must be caught
soon or it would appear there is a strong conspiracy behind the Central Sulawesi
violence. He said parliament's Commission I for security affairs would be closely
monitoring developments in the police investigation.
Parliament speaker Agung Laksono condemned the killing as a "sadistic act by an
irresponsible group". He reeled off parliament's usual calls for police to to immediately
solve the case and find the perpetrator and mastermind. He also urged local religious
and community leaders to foster a climate of peace and harmony.
The former chief of Sulawesi's Wirabuana Military Command, Suaidi Marassabesy,
said the government and its security agencies must intensify intelligence operations
to uncover the masterminds of the latest spate of violence. "The local administration
also needs to hold more frequent meetings with related community figures to find the
best possible solution to the continuing horizontal conflict in Poso," he was quoted as
saying by Antara.
Marassabesy said that when the Poso violence started in late 1998, he immediately
held meetings with local community figures, especially Muslim leaders. "I went from
mosque to mosque to meet with the public and religious figures in a bid to remedy the
situation. After the root of the problem and its solution were found, the conflict was
brought under control in only three days, although it flared up again a few months
later," he said.
He said although the Poso conflict was not as big as that in the Maluku islands -
where about 6,000 people were killed in religious violence from 1998 to 2002 - finding
a lasting solution is more difficult because the unrest is related to several factors. He
said the first factor was the region's width and strategic geographic location as a
transit point for members of "radical movements". He said the second factor was that
Poso district's administration was far away from the provincial administration based in
Palu. The third factor, he said, was the role of "third parties" that infiltrated the region
and indoctrinated locals.
"In light of all this, the government should hold dialogs as often as possible with
Poso's local community by inviting outside figures as mediators to solve the problem
thoroughly," said Marassabesy. He made no mention of the military's role in the past
violence.
Incumbent Wirabuana Military Command chief Major General Arif Budi Sampurno said
police have not yet asked him to help investigate the murder or boost security. "The
military is ready to provide assistance to the police in maintaining security and in
catching the perpetrators of the assassination of Irianto Kongkoli," he was quoted as
saying by Antara.
He said the military and police have in the past cooperated to maintain stability in
Poso and uncover terrorist networks. "We have often conducted joint patrols and
exchanged intelligence information in maintaining peace and stability and in handling
various cases such as the riots after the execution of Tibo and his friends."
Critics say that rivalry between the military and police is part of the reason for the
prolonged violence in Central Sulawesi. The military in the past was accused of
fomenting the violence to undermine the authority of police and the civilian government
and to further its economic interests. Elements of the military were also accused of
giving training, support and weapons to the conflicting religious factions.
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