The Jakarta Post, July 21, 2005
Govt preparing decree on Poso
JAKARTA: The government is preparing a draft decree to upgrade security in the
Central Sulawesi town of Poso, where terror attacks and sectarian conflict have taken
place in recent years.
Minister of Home Affairs M. Ma'ruf said after a ministerial meeting on Tuesday the
decree would strengthen the role of intelligence personnel in curbing violence in the
regency.
"An intelligence operation will be among government measures to maintain security."
Ma'ruf said.
Close to 3,000 people were killed in bloody sectarian conflict in Poso between 2000
and 2001, according to government data, while hundreds of thousands of others have
been displaced since then.
Some security authorities suspect Poso is a hotbed for radical groups linked to the
al-Qaeda terrorist network.
The latest violence in Poso occurred on May 23, when a market was bombed leaving
21 people dead. -- JP
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