The Jakarta Post, 12/24/2004 4:04:02 PM
Unidentified men attack Christian preacher in Poso
POSO, Central Sulawesi (AP): Unidentified men armed with machetes attacked a
Christian preacher on Indonesia's Sulawesi Island on Friday ahead of Christmas eve
services in the region, which has along history of Muslim-Christian violence.
The Rev. Jemri Tambalino was in critical condition after the attack by three men in the
Central Sulawesi coastal town of Poso, said local hospital official Sugianto Kalimudin.
The preacher, who was riding a motorbike, suffered slash wounds to his neck and
face, Kalimudin said. A friend traveling with Tambalino also was attacked, and
suffered injuries to his hand, he said.
Police were not immediately available for comment.
Poso was a major battleground in fighting between Christians and Muslims four years
ago on Sulawesi, where about 1,000 people were killed and thousands of others
displaced.
Large scale clashes have died down, but over the last year the island has seen an
increase in attacks and bomb blasts.
Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, but Central Sulawesi has
roughly equal Muslim and Christian populations. The province lies 1,600 kilometers
northeast of the capital, Jakarta. (***)
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