AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, Wednesday December 4, 2002 10:28 AM
Sulawesi strife due to Indonesia government failure: rights group
The sectarian bloodshed in the Indonesian province of Central Sulawesi is the direct
result of Jakarta's failure to punish violence when it broke out four years ago, Human
Rights Watch said.
An estimated 1,000 people have died and more than 100,000 have been displaced
since violence between Christians and Muslims erupted in the province's Poso region
in December 1998.
In a 48-page report, the New York-based rights watchdog accused the security forces
of turning a blind eye to violence committed by both sides, and said shootings,
bombings and attacks continued with impunity.
"Some Western governments want to strengthen ties with the Indonesian military in
the fight against terrorism, but the army cannot even control conflict in many parts of
the country," said Brad Adams, executive director of the Asia division at Human
Rights Watch.
"This problem cannot be fixed by more weapons and training. The focus should be on
reform," Adams said.
When the communal violence began in Central Sulawesi, the security forces not only
failed to stop the attacks but often exacerbated the situation by firing into crowds and
committing human rights abuses, the report said.
Many of the worst crimes went unpunished, and several subsequent outbreaks were
tied to the lack of arrests for prior violence, it added.
The few trials that did take place produced inconsistent sentences and took place in a
"circus-like atmosphere" that inflamed tensions further.
Human Rights Watch called for an investigation by Indonesia's Human Rights
Commission into the failure to contain violence in Poso, and urged that internationally
supported training programs build the capacity of police in the province.
Indonesia said Tuesday it would keep 2,600 police and 900 soldiers in Poso for six
more months in case of fresh Muslim-Christian clashes.
"There will be no reduction of troops until next June," said police Senior
Commissioner Imam Sujarwo, who heads the "security restoration operation."
The operation, agreed following a peace pact between Christian and Muslim
representatives last December, had been due to expire at the end of the year.
Copyright © 2002 AFP. All rights reserved.
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