The Jakarta Post, July 05, 2004
Poso Police accused of extensive violations
Ruslan Sangadji, Palu, Central Sulawesi
Three Poso community organizations have complained that police personnel
committed at least 83 human rights violations over the last two years. The report has
dealt a severe blow to the National Police, who are celebrating their 58th anniversary.
The Center for the Development of Law and Human Rights Studies (LPS-HAM), the
Protestant Church Crisis Center and the Poso Fi Sabilillah Mosque Youth
Organization reported that the abuse included beatings, threats at gunpoint, shootings
and intimidation by security personnel.
The cases were swept under the carpet for two years and were reported only recently
due to fears that local residents and members of the last two organizations above
could be a target of police retaliation.
"We were afraid to report this because, from previous experience, people who did
report incidents were treated as suspects by the police," said Maharaja Botilangi,
from Tentena, North Pamona district, Poso regency.
Local people and the two organizations finally plucked up the courage to report the
cases after they received backing from the LPS-HAM and a guarantee from top
officials of the Central Sulawesi Police that their headquarters would investigate any
human rights abuses by subordinates and they would protect people who had made
abuse allegations.
Besides these abuses, other acts of violence, including mysterious shootings, the
bombing of intercity buses, arson, attacks and killings, remain unsolved until now.
Central Sulawesi LPS-HAM chairman Syamsul Agus said that whenever there was a
violent incident in the ravaged town of Poso, police would simply make excuses that
they were still searching for perpetrators. "But until now, no one has been arrested.
The police are not working hard enough to resolve conflict in Poso," said Alam.
The LPS-HAM has reported the cases to the National Commission on Human Rights
(Komnas HAM) and urged it to form a task force to investigate them.
The LPS-HAM has also taken legal action in relation to the government's failure to
resolve the Poso conflict. "We have filed a class action against the President, the
National Police chief, the Central Sulawesi governor and police chief, the regent of
Poso and the Poso Police chief. They are the ones responsible for resolving the Poso
conflict," claimed Alam.
Sectarian violence rocked Poso four years ago, when some 2,000 Muslims and
Christians were reportedly killed in the conflict. The scale of conflict has subsided,
although there have occasionally been deadly attacks recently on local people by
unknown perpetrators trying to revive the conflict.
The tension has until now prompted the National Police to maintain a heavy police
presence in the area, although that then created another problem: allegations of
frequent abuse of power by police personnel.
Separately, Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Taufik Ridha said the police had
received several reports of violence allegedly committed by security personnel, and
the cases were still being dealt with by a military tribunal in Manado, North Sulawesi
province.
Some have been convicted. "Those proven guilty will be dismissed or demoted," said
the Central Sulawesi Police chief on Thursday.
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