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Indonesia: Fresh Clashes Erupt After Church Burning in Poso
By IslamOnline Correspondent Kazi Mahmood
JAKARTA, Nov. 28 (IslamOnline) - Fresh religious fighting broke out in Central Sulawesi's riot-torn town of Poso on Tuesday in retaliation to the earlier bombing and burning of a church by rival Muslims in the regency, police said on Wednesday.
No casualties were reported, but the town has been plagued by renewed religious tensions in clashes between Muslims and Christians. Christians are a majority in the town.
The Laskar Jihad, a group that fought Christians in Ambon, Malukus, said thousands of Muslims have been murdered in Poso. They also blamed the Indonesian authorities for not doing anything to put an end to the conflict.
Tuesday's riot lasted for more than one hour, from 2:30 p.m., at Betalemba village in Poso regency. Local authorities subsequently imposed tighter security, yet the situation remained tense.
Witnesses said the burning of the Betany Church, located on Jalan Kalimantan, triggered the fighting, around 50 meters from the Poso regent's official residence.
Early Monday, one of the large churches in Poso was bombed and burned to the ground, allegedly by a Muslim mob.
Despite the huge blast, there were no reports of casualties during the incident.
Violence has rocked Poso since last year with the murder of several Muslim students at the Walisongko Islamic School. Teachers discovered the mutilated bodies of some of the victims.
More bodies were subsequently found in swamps or floating in rivers in the Poso regency. A group of Muslims from Jakarta visited the regency last year and discovered mass graveyards of mutilated Muslim bodies.
Tuesday's violence was blamed on a Muslim paramilitary fighters linked to the Laskar Jihad. However, the group denied being responsible for the bombing of the church.
"Why should we bomb a church? It could even disadvantage our struggle," one Laskar Jihad fighter said.
Last Saturday, two residents sustained serious gunshot wounds after being involved in a shooting incident with a group of unidentified people on Jalan Kalimantan.
More than 2,000 people have been killed since the sectarian conflict exploded in May 2000. Dozens from the two warring groups have been jailed for their alleged involvement in the killings.
Three Christians, Fabianus Tibo, 55, Marianus Riwu, 43, and Dominggus da Silva, 37, were sentenced to death after they were found guilty of committing a series of mass killings between May 2000 and June 2000.
The Supreme Court rejected the trio's appeal recently.
The Laskar Jihad has set up a branch in the regency and is assisting the victims of the unexplained violence there.
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