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ivil rights issues in the post-conflict Poso regency, Central Sulawesi, need to be well-addressed by the central government to help displaced people reclaim their land.

Provincial administration secretary Rais Lamangkona said that steps to rebuild Poso had been taken.

“But more problems have emerged, as we are addressing civil rights issues,” he told a closed-door meeting between members of House of Representatives Commission I and Central Sulawesi administration officials in Palu, Central Sulawesi, on Wednesday.

The meeting was held during the commission’s working visit to the provincial capital to follow up on the latest report on the recovery progress in the aftermath of the humanitarian conflict that broke out in the region between 1998 and 2002.

Rais said that during the peak of the conflict in Poso many people entered and left Poso without identification.

He added that with the reorganization of the population data, people’s status would become more clear, especially with the implementation of electronic identity cards.

The problem is, he said, is that many people had been displaced during the conflict as they fled their homes while other people claimed their land.

Central Sulawesi Governor Longky Djuanggola agreed, saying that Poso’s condition in the aftermath of the conflict has generally returned to normal due to the five steps conducted to rebuild the conflict-torn regency.

With regards to civil rights issues, he asked the commission’s deputy head Tubagus Hasanuddin to convey the issues to the National Land Agency (BPN).

Responding, Tubagus said that the commission would convey the matter to BPN to help the provincial administration resolve problems.

He added that unless the issues were properly addressed, they could later lead to new problems.

“The issues should be properly resolved because they could flare up again,” said Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction member Tubagus.

Poso Regent Piet Inkiriwang told The Jakarta Post that many of the civil rights issues faced by Poso residents had been settled, some amicably and others facilitated by the regency administration.

Regarding resolution of civil rights, the Poso regency administration disbursed Rp 400 million (US$45,000) from the 2007 recovery assistance funds, set aside for funding the free property certification program, Piet added.

Poso regency has continued to allocate funds for the free property certification to underprivileged residents in an effort to resolve civil rights issues.

In Poso, and even Tentena, parcels of land have been returned to their rightful owners after being dominated without clear status.

Residents have engaged in land transactions and exchanges in efforts to resolve rights issues.