Jubilee Campaign USA, Decmber 4, 2001
MASSACRE BEGINS IN CENTRAL
SULAWESI
Decmber 4, 2001
Dear Friend,
I'm in Jakarta as I write this, and it's MIDNIGHT Saturday night (in
Tentena it's 1.00 am Sunday morning). I have just been on the phone
with Tentena. The village of Sepe, one of the last Christian strongholds
has fallen and is being looted, destroyed and burned to the ground by the
jihad terrorists, even as I type and the village of Silanca is under attack.
Reports from the fleeing villagers state that military units have joined in
with the jihad terrorists in attacking the villages and the fleeing villagers
who fled to the military barracks in Kawua are being turned away by the
military even as I type this email.
The next section comes from reports to the Jakarta Post.
Other eyewitness accounts point to scores of dead and thousands of
mainly-Christian homes destroyed at the hands of well organized,
uniformed militia equipped with machine-guns, rocket launchers and even
bulldozers. Father Jimmy, told The Jakarta Post by telephone from
Tentena, about 40 kilometers south of Poso town, on Friday that more
than 50,000 residents and refugees were in danger of fresh attacks after
extremist militia bombarded the villages of Betalemba, Patiwunga,
Tangkura, Sanginora and Debua over the last three days.
"All houses and other buildings in Sanginora and Debua were flattened
when the terrorist groups attacked the two villages on Thursday. They
are nearing Tentena where around 50,000 villagers from Betalemba,
Patiwunga and Tangkura are taking refuge," he said. He said the
militiamen would easily capture Tentena as only a dozen security
personnel were stationed in the sub-district while a score of security
personnel from the Palu Military District and the Police's Mobile Brigade
had already pulled out because of a lack of logistical supports from the
Poso administration.
"The civilian militias have killed many local people and burned down
thousands of houses and churches in five villages located between Poso
and Tentena over the last three days," the bishop told the Post here on
Thursday.
This news needs to be quickly brought to the attention of Presidents,
Prime Ministers and the UN.
The residents of Tentena have been awoken and all men are being put on
guard around the city while the women and children have packed small
bags to prepare to evacuate into the jungles.
If these terrorists make it through to Tentena, the massacre will begin.
We could be within 48 hours of the final onslaught. Urgent pressure must
be put on the Indonesian Govt, or if they continue to condone this
terrorism and genocide to take place, they must face the condemnation
of the international community. The Human Rights Commission in Geneva
needs to be given this information.
Pressure on man may not be enough, nor soon enough, so we need to cry
out to the Lord for His supernatural intervention.
Jeff Hammond
The Christians of the Poso regency of Central Sulawesi continue to be
under attack from Muslim jihad warriors (Laskar Jihad). The number of
jihad warriors continues to increase. Nine hundred arrived on Wednesday,
28 November 2001 and a thousand according to police reports arrived the
previous week. These men are being equipped with automatic rifles,
bombs and are using trucks including gasoline tanker trucks to attack and
burn and destroy Christian villages. The Christian youth are attempting to
defend their homeland with handmade weapons (rifles, bow and arrows,
etc.).
The Muslims have advanced at close as 15 miles to Tentena the last large
Christian town. Jeff Hammond who visited the area last week writes,
"63,000 Christians are now trapped in the Tentena area and are waiting
for the slaughter to begin."
I am getting first hand reports from the Crisis Center in Tentena. The
entire Christian community of Tentena has jointly written an appeal to the
UN for intervention. They are appealing for international intervention
because the Indonesian government has failed to provide protection for
them. They feel helpless as thousands flee their homes and watch their
homes, schools and churches burned to the ground.
I spoke with the American ambassador Friday afternoon. Friends and I
shared the desperate situation of the Christians. We asked the
ambassador to put formal and informal pressure upon the Indonesian
government to protect the Christians of Central Sulawesi. I told the
ambassador that we have proof of Afghan and Pakistan men training the
Muslim warriors. He asked for a copy of the proof. I had alreadI have
contacted the Dutch and Australian embassies and CNN and LA Times.
The LA Times reporter asked for proof of the Afghan and Pakistan
terrorists operating in Central Sulawesi. I sent him a copy of an internal
police report. The police officer who made the report is coming to Jakarta.
We are hoping that he will be interviewed by the news media.
The September 11th attacks frightened Americans. Think about the fear
in the hearts of the people of the villages of Betelemba, Tangkura,
Dewua, Singginora, Sepe Silanca, Pandiri and others whose homes were
attacked this week by terrorists and destroyed. In America we had the
reassurance that the police, FBI, CIA, and military were doing all within
their power to protect Americans. US fighter jets flew over the cities of
America to provide protection. The Christians of Poso have seen the
police and military flee into the forest as villages are attacked. They are
getting no protection. The police who are station in the Tentena area are
afraid for their lives. They have three rifles to defend against thousands
of armed men with automatic rifles.
Pray! Pray for the innocent and helpless! Pray for peace! Pray for those
who will not have a place to worship this Sunday as their church was
destroyed this week. One woman didn't cry when her house was burned
down but she has been broken hearted since her church was burned
down. Pray for mothers and fathers as they seek ways to feed their
children. Pray for their faith. Pray for the persecutors. Pray for hatred to
be taken from their hearts. Pray that the Christians will rejoice. They have
a far great place prepared for them in heaven.
Poso refugees in grave danger as mobs threaten Ridwan Max Sijabat, The
Jakarta Post, Jakarta.
An estimated 50,000 mainly Christian refugees fleeing brutal sectarian
violence in Central Sulawesi could be attacked in the absence of military
or police protection, a Catholic priest in the area says.
Other eyewitness accounts point to scores of dead and thousands of
mainly-Christian homes destroyed at the hands of well organized,
uniformed militia equipped with machine-guns, rocket launchers and even
bulldozers.
Father Jimmy, told The Jakarta Post by telephone from Tentena, about 40
kilometers south of Poso town, on Friday that more than 50,000 residents
and refugees were in danger of fresh attacks after extremist militia
bombarded the villages of Betalemba, Patiwunga, Tangkura, Sanginora and
Debua over the last three days.
"All houses and other buildings in Sanginora and Debua were flattened
when the terrorist groups attacked the two villages on Thursday. They
are nearing Tentena where around 50,000 villagers from Betalemba,
Patiwunga and Tangkura are taking refuge," he said.
He said the militiamen would easily capture Tentena as only a dozen
security personnel were stationed in the subdistrict while a score of
security personnel from the Palu Military District and the Police's Mobile
Brigade had already pulled out because of a lack of logistical supports
from the Poso administration.
Father Jimmy said the local administration had "allowed" militiamen to
destroy predominantly Catholic Tentena to make it similar with
predominantly Muslim Poso which had been destroyed in the past.
He said local religious leaders and security authorities needed to hold
immediate talks to reconcile and work out emergency steps needed to
halt the conflict.
Meanwhile, in Jakarta, Manado Bishop Mgr. Josef Suwatan OSC called on
the central government and security forces to reign in the armed civilian
militias conducting a terror campaign in Central Sulawesi.
"The civilian militias have killed many local people and burned down
thousands of houses and churches in five villages located between Poso
and Tentena over the last three days," the bishop told the Post here on
Thursday.
Mgr. Suwatan was here to meet government and security officials to draw
attention to the prolonged sectarian conflict that has claimed more than
2,000 lives since it erupted three years ago.
The Manado Diocese supervising North Sulawesi, Gorontalo and northern
Central Sulawesi, has established a crisis center with Muslim and Christian
faiths to help end the bloody violence. "All forms of violence must be
halted against local people, regardless their religion or race," the bishop
said.
Mgr. Suwatan questioned the absence of efforts between the central
government and security authorities to restore law and order in the
regency, saying the extremist groups freely killed local people and
destroyed villages.
He claimed the campaign was aimed at destroying communities and
cultures in the area as the armed militiamen targeted people, homes,
churches, mosques and school buildings.
The bishop said hundreds of militiamen using military uniforms had
launched well-organized raids on villages whose populations mainly
comprised Christian people. The rebels, mostly from East Java, were
equipped with AK-47 guns, rocket launchers, bulldozers and circular saws.
"Both the Police and the Indonesian Military should immediately take tight
measures to control the militiamen and disarm local people," he said.
Poso Regent Muin Pusadat was not available for comment on Friday.
Nov 29, the towns of Betelemba, Tangkura and Dewua have fallen to the
jihad.
Nov 30 Sangginora fell. They are now only 15 miles from Tentena. I was
rung 5 times in the day from leaders in Tentena who are urging prayer and
international intervention.
Without a miracle the Christians don't feel they can hold on more than
another week or two. 63,000 Christians are now trapped in the Tentena
area and waiting for the slaughter to begin.
The latest on Poso-Tentena is not good.
A boat arrived yesterday afternoon (Wednesday Nov 28) in Poso with
another 900 jihad. A couple of nights ago Tangkura fell as the numbers of
jihad were too great to withstand. They also attacked Ranononcu with
larger numbers but were withstood.
The news is a little confusing but it seems there was an attack last night
also behind Ranononcu in Kawua (after Ranononcu on the way to Tentena
before getting to Pandiri where the military base is) and 2 jihad
commanders were killed by the military and now the jihad plan to attack
the military HQ's in Kawua!! We hear that could happen tonight if they
can break through. Dr. Ketut in Tentena said "The Christians in Tentena
are quite stressed out and many are fearful of what might happen in the
next couple of days. They don't know what else they can do. Please do
what you can to help us."
The situation is getting worse. I go to Jakarta tomorrow to try to stir
things up there and we have an emergency meeting tomorrow (Friday)
night with several Generals.
The need is real. It is urgent, and 63,000 Christians need your help.
Please pray. Please appeal to government representatives to appeal to
the Indonesian government to stop this massacre from happening.
Last night (Nov 30) I arrived in Jakarta and for the next 4 days I have
appointments with retired Generals (Christians), politicians, Embassies etc.
The latest report is that 3 trucks of military have arrived in Tentena from
the south and that the Jihad have withdrawn 10km from Tangkura for no
apparent reason (that we can identify at the moment). But this could be
just a tactical move. The pressure in the area is intense and today I have
travelling from Tentena 2 VIP's - the Police Chief and a Parliamentarian
who are supposed to fly to Jakarta tomorrow and with me represent the
Poso people at these meetings. However, as yet they have not made it
through to Palu and it's now 8.00pm so we are quite concerned. They left
at 7.30am this morning and should have arrived by 2.00pm. So I would
appreciate prayer for them. I'll let you know when I have word.
Dr. Jeff Hammond
Sincerely,
Ann Buwalda
Jubilee Campaign USA
jubilee@jubileecampaign.org
http://www.jubileecampaign.org
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