The Jakarta Post, March 01, 2007
Residents and police involved in fatal clash in Central Sulawesi
Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Palu
Five people were reportedly killed and dozens of others injured Wednesday during a
clash with security personnel in Banggai Islands regency, Central Sulawesi.
Resident Iwan Bua said he saw five bodies following the violent clash.
"I saw five people dead. They were Junaid, Ridwan, Aba, Ardan and another one still
unidentified," he told The Jakarta Post by phone from the regency, some 800
kilometers from the provincial capital Palu.
However, the head of the United Banggai People's Mondupulian Forum, Achmad
Huluan, denied five people died in the incident. "From our information, only two people
died. They were Junaid, 36, and Ridwan, 22."
The clash was reportedly triggered when residents protested a decision to move the
regency capital from Banggai to Salakan Island.
During the protest, residents sealed off government offices, preventing employees from
getting to work.
Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Badrodin Haiti said he had not received any
information on possible fatalities during the incident.
He did receive a report that some 500 residents protested at the Banggai Police
office, forcing their way into the office while carrying sharp weapons.
"Since they were carrying weapons, my personnel fired warning shots into the air to
disperse them. It's not true that residents were shot and killed by the police,"
Badrodin said.
Achmad alleged police officers physically assaulted several of the protesters,
including Junaid, who he said died at the hospital from injuries he received in the
assault.
Badrodin said extra police officers had been deployed to the area, but did not provide
exact numbers. "If the protesters refuse to disperse, we will disperse them by force,"
he said.
Central Sulawesi Governor Bandjela Paliudju earlier ordered provincial secretary
Gumyadi to the regency to explain the reasons behind the change of regency capital.
The governor said the conflict began after Banggai Islands Regent Irianto Malingong
implement a 1999 law on the creation of Buol, Morowali and Banggai Islands
regencies.
Under the law, Banggai was to be the temporary regency capital until government
offices were built in Salakan.
However, the regent moved the administration to Salakan immediately after taking
office on Aug. 26 last year, without informing residents.
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