Paras Indonesia, January, 04 2006 @ 05:23 am
Independent Inquiry Sought Over Pork Market Blast
Roy Tupai
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is under increasing pressure to launch an
independent inquiry into ongoing violence in Central Sulawesi province due to
concerns that members of the security and intelligence forces may be part of the
problem.
Calls for the creation of an independent fact-finding team have mounted after the New
Year's Eve bomb blast that killed seven people and injured 56 others at a Christian
market that sold pork and dog meat on the outskirts of the provincial capital Palu.
The death toll was revised down from eight after police realized that one of the
fatalities had been counted twice because he had two names.
Yudhoyono has condemned the attack and ordered police to intensify efforts to hunt
down the terrorists. But human rights activists say that's not enough, because many
previous cases of violence in the province remain unresolved.
Ironically, one of those killed in the blast was a military intelligence officer, who had
been doing some last minute shopping for his New Year's celebration.
Authorities had warned that militant groups were likely to stage bomb attacks over the
Christmas and New Year period.
Central Sulawesi was plagued by ethnic and sectarian violence that left about 2,000
people dead between 2000-2001. The bloodshed abated considerably after the
December 2001 signing of a peace deal negotiated by then chief welfare minister
Jusuf Kalla and then chief security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Despite strong support from Christian and Muslim residents for the peace pact,
dubbed the Malino Accord, intermittent killings and bombings have continued in the
province over recent years, mostly targeting Christians. Among the worst acts of
violence last year were the bombing of a traditional market in Tentena that killed 22
people in May and the beheading of three schoolgirls in Poso in October.
Some analysts have said the violence might have been masterminded by members of
the local political elite, using trained militias or even members of the security and
intelligence forces, to incite further religious conflict in order to profit from relief aid and
pilfer funds designated for military reinforcements, and to divert attention the vast
corruption in Central Sulawesi.
Other analysts have suggested the killings could be the work of local Islamic
extremists with links to offshoots of regional terrorism network Jemaah Islamiyah,
which has been blamed for a series of deadly bombings in Bali and Jakarta.
Exposing The Truth
Members of the Regional Representative Council (DPD) and human rights activists
have called for the deployment of an independent fact-finding team to conduct a
comprehensive investigation into the violence in Palu and Poso.
DPD member Muspani on Monday said there are already more than enough police
and soldiers in Central Sulawesi, so the proposed team is needed to investigate
whether members of the security forces are involved in the violence.
About 4,000 police and military reinforcements were sent to restore order in the
province throughout 2005.
Muspani, coordinator of the DPD's team for Poso, said the team should uncover the
source of the widespread availability of firearms and explosives in Palu and Poso.
"This team will eventually clarify the truth of whether the security apparatus or armed
civilian groups were involved," he was quoted as saying by detikcom online news
portal.
He said locals may know who is responsible for the violence but are afraid to speak
out because their security is not guaranteed. "It is illogical if the situation is
considered safe but then a bombing occurs," he said.
Muspani said the team should investigate claims by three Catholic militants, now on
death row for their role in massacres of Muslims in Poso between May and June
2000, that 16 individuals had masterminded the violence. He said the 16 individuals
named by Fabianus Tibo and his two associates have never been thoroughly
investigated.
Nurmawati Bantilan, a DPD member from Central Sulawesi, said the council will write
to the Attorney General's Office to request that the imminent execution of Tibo and his
associates be delayed. "If they are executed, then the investigation of this case will
be interrupted and incomplete, and similar cases will continue to erupt," he said.
He said the bombing of the pork market showed the government was not serious
about resolving the problems in Central Sulawesi. "The bomb actually could have been
predicted because of what had happened beforehand. So the intelligence system
should have been improved."
Bantilan also proposed that most of the military reinforcements be withdrawn from the
province, saying their presence is a burden on the state budget and makes locals feel
uncomfortable.
He said that no matter how many troops are sent to Poso and Palu, violence will
continue as long as the roots of the conflict remain unexposed. He pointed out that
Jemaah Islamiyah's main bomb-maker Azahari Husin was caught last year in East
Java, whereas the perpetrators of much the Central Sulawesi unrest remain at large
and unidentified.
"Who are the reinforcements really trying to catch? Azahari could be caught, so why
couldn't [the bombers] be caught there [Palu]? The use of military methods for
resolving the conflict needs to be evaluated," he said.
Muspani also said the DPD would demand an evaluation of the performance of the
Army, Police and BIN in Central Sulawesi, because there are persistent rumors that
members of the security forces are involved in the unrest.
House of Representatives speaker Agung Laksono said the government, military,
police and intelligence agencies must conduct a thorough investigation to prove they
are serious about stopping the Central Sulawesi unrest. "Previous cases are still
unclear, and we ask that this be the last case because our economy must grow in
2006 and this will be impossible if our security continues to be disturbed," he said.
Intelligence Quotient
Human rights activists have called on Yudhoyono to reshuffle BIN by weeding out
incompetent personnel and replacing them with professionals in order to improve the
agency's capacity to combat terrorism.
"The recurrence of bombing action is due the failure of intelligence to provide an early
warning system," Lilis Setyowati of the Kalyanamitra women's rights group said at a
press conference at the Jakarta headquarters of the Commission for Missing Persons
and Victims of Violence (Kontras) on Monday.
She said BIN should be staffed by competent and clean personnel, who are capable
of carrying out their duties professionally. "We ask parliament to transparently check
the effectiveness of intelligence coordination in providing security in Palu and Poso,
and also to check BIN's sincerity in bringing peace to the two areas," she was quoted
as saying by detikcom.
Kontras coordinator Usman Hamid said it was vital for the president to form a joint
fact-finding team to investigate the Palu blast.
He said the team should comprise credible individuals, members of non-government
organizations and representatives of the communities in Palu and Poso. "The purpose
of the team is not to replace the security forces there, but to help them resolve the
cases that have happened in Palu and Poso," he said.
Hamid also called for a reshuffle of BIN, saying the agency had failed to perform its
duty. "It would be wrong if the president just ordered the institution to search for those
responsible for the bombing. He has to replace the BIN officials with some capable
people," the activist was quoted as saying by The Jakarta Post.
'Bombings Not Religious Conflict'
Hamid said the bombings and shootings in Palu and Poso were not religiously
motivated but had been orchestrated by a "certain group" to deter police from
uncovering the roots of the conflict.
The Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) concurred, saying the Palu bombing should not
be seen as a form of religious violence.
"This not part of religion. But it is possible that a third party sought to exploit the
momentum of religion," MUI chairman Amidhan was quoted as saying by detikcom.
He declined to mention the possible identity of the "third party" but pointed to political
and economic interests. "I am still studying this because the Poso and Palu problem
is complex. There is not only the problem of religion, but also of economics and
politics. For example, the unjust exploitation of economic resources, or politics
concerning the position of the local government there," he said.
Amidhan emphasized that local religious leaders in Central Sulawesi were committed
to peace, so the latest violence must have come from another side.
Kalla: No One Saw It Coming
Vice President Jusuf Kalla agreed that the Palu bombing was linked to previous
incidents of violence in Central Sulawesi. But he brushed aside criticism that security
and intelligence forces should have been able to prevent the blast, saying it was
impossible to predict that a meat market would have been targeted.
"Frankly, terrorist elements continue to exist, with their remnants always in conflict
areas such as Sulawesi and Ambon," he was quoted as saying by detikcom.
"Who would have thought that a pork kiosk would be bombed? If it was a hotel or a
karaoke bar, people would understand why it was bombed. America also did not think
the World Trade Center would be bombed," he said.
Kalla expressed hope the latest blast would not give the impression that Indonesia is
unsafe and urged the public not get caught up in sorrow. "We are concerned, but don't
let this problem make us become a nation that is afflicted," he said.
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