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Jamaah Islamiyah blamed for prolonged conflict in Poso
A police general says regional terrorist group Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) used a sectarian conflict in Poso, Central Sulawesi, to establish a base in the area from which to launch bombings and killings
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A police general says regional terrorist group Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) used a sectarian conflict in Poso, Central Sulawesi, to establish a base in the area from which to launch bombings and killings.
Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Badrodin Haiti said police investigations had turned up several admitted members of JI, an outlawed organization with ties to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist network.
These alleged members were identified as Hasanuddin, Sahl and Agus, who were arrested in Malaysia recently.
"They came to Poso to build a force to launch terrorist attacks on their targets. They belonged to JI. They used the 1999-2002 sectarian conflict, prolonging it until 2007," he said during the launch of the book Tangan Dingin Jenderal, Poso Damai (The general's cold hands, peaceful Poso), written by Elkana Lengkong, a contributor to a private TV station in the city.
The 210-page book recounts Badrodin's handling of the bloody conflict in Poso, and the police's successful arrest of a number of the people behind the violence.
Muhammad Marzuki, chairman of the Center for Peace Research and Conflict Management at Tadulako University in Poso, criticized the book as subjective.
He said the book was not based on accurate data or comprehensive references.
"The main mission of this book is to extol the police's handling of the conflict from the law enforcement perspective. It really does not reflect the discourse on peace in Poso. It is too subjective," he said.
The chairman of the Palu Columnists Association, Ngunci H. Ali, said the book ignored the tireless efforts of many parties to end the conflict, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
"The book, published by Pustaka Sinar Harapan, places the police as the only hero in the settlement of the conflict," he said.
Elkana said his main goal in writing the book was to let people know the violence was ended and that Poso was again peaceful.
"All the technical errors will be addressed in the second edition," he said.
