The Jakarta Post, November 19, 2003
Poso falling back into cycle of violance
Irvan NR, The Jakarta Post, Palu, Central Sulawesi
Security forces escorted public vehicles traveling through Poso regency, Central
Sulawesi, following the disappearance of a civil servant and a wave of renewed
violence, amid the deployment of reinforcement forces, Poso Police said on Tuesday.
On Monday, Husain Garusu, a 46-year-old local civil servant, was reported missing.
He was last seen traveling aboard a passenger bus from the provincial capital of Palu
to Morowali regency, via Poso.
The bus was stopped by three armed men at Kuku village in North Pamona, Poso,
according to police and villagers.
Poso Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Abdi Dharma said officers had so far only found a
pair trousers allegedly belonging to Garusu in the search for his whereabouts. "We
will continue to look for him," he said.
Around 100 police officers arrived on Tuesday morning in Poso, bringing the number of
security forces -- including soldiers -- stationed there to over 3,200.
To prevent further attacks targeting commuters, police and soldiers have formed a
tight guard around public transportation vehicles traveling within and outside of Poso.
Security escorts have been assigned to buses on specific routes, including the
Palu-Poso-Makassar, Poso-Bungku, Poso-Morowali and Poso-Luwuk routes.
The new measure was implemented following reports that several villages in the Lage
and North Pamona subdistricts had put up road blocks, and that villagers had even
stopped passing vehicles for security checks.
Meanwhile, roads leading to Tentena, a predominantly Christian town, was reopened
on Monday after being closed several days in case of recurring violence.
Some local residents, fearful of attacks, canceled road trips to their South Sulawesi
hometowns, where they had planned to celebrate Idul Fitri with family.
Siska, a migrant from the neighborhood of Tatura in Poso, was among those affected
by the heightened security situation.
"We had decided to go home to Polopo (South Sulawesi) in a four-car caravan via
North Pamona. But we finally canceled the trip, because we are afraid for our own
safety," she said.
Solmi, head of the Central Sulawesi transportation office, confirmed that the
heightened security in Poso forced many people to cancel or delay travel over land
since last week, with many opting to fly instead.
Central Sulawesi Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus Sugianto said Poso
residents had requested security escorts for all vehicles traveling inside and out of
town.
However, he claimed that security in Poso was generally under control in spite of the
latest incidents across the regency.
On Saturday night, the police found three bodies identified as treasurer of the
Christian Church of Central Sulawesi (GKST) Oranye Tajoja, 50, and two other
Christians -- Yohanis Tajoja, alias Buce, 35, and Delfis Lingkuliwa -- in Poso Pesisir.
The bodies were discovered as police and soldiers were tracking down masked
gunmen blamed for a series of attacks last month in Poso and Morowali, in which at
least 13 people were killed. Police believe the perpetrators intended to inflame
sectarian sentiments again to serve their own political ends.
Security forces have shot dead six suspects in gunfights during their search and
captured 17 others, who are being charged under the Antiterrorism Law. Officials have
attributed the Poso attacks to the al Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah regional terror
network.
Last Sunday, a crowd of around 300 Muslims besieged the Central Sulawesi Police
station to protest the fatal shooting of a suspect, Hamid Sudin, wanted in connection
with the October attacks.
Up to 1,000 people have been killed in the two-year sectarian conflict that broke out in
2000 in Poso. The government brokered a peace deal in December 2001, but sporadic
bloodshed continues.
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