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Jakarta Post

Poso is safe says local police chief

Poso Police chief Sr

Ruslan Sangadji (The Jakarta Post)
Poso
Mon, January 25, 2016

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Poso is safe says local police chief Poso Police chief Sr. Comr. Ronny Suseno speaks to journalists at the Poso Police office on Monday. Poso is safe, Ronny says, as the 2016 Tinombala Operation involving thousands of police officers and Indonesian Military soldiers hunts for the armed group believed to be hiding in Poso forests. (thejakartapost.com/Ruslan Sangadji) (thejakartapost.com/Ruslan Sangadji)

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span class="inline inline-center">Poso Police chief Sr. Comr. Ronny Suseno speaks to journalists at the Poso Police office on Monday. Poso is safe, Ronny says, as the 2016 Tinombala Operation involving thousands of police officers and Indonesian Military soldiers hunts for the armed group believed to be hiding in Poso forests. (thejakartapost.com/Ruslan Sangadji)

The town of Poso is safe as people go about their business amid thousands of police officers and Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers deployed in the hunt to capture members of armed terrorist group, a top police official said on Monday.

Poso Police chief Sr.Comr. Ronny Suseno said that any security disturbances were only in specific areas such as the forest where the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) armed group reside, but that the situation in the town of Poso was relatively safe.

A music concert and people's party in Kasintuwu Field in Poso on Sunday evening, in which hundreds of people came together to watch singers Nia Daniati and Baby Z, was a sign of stability in the area.

However, Ronny urged local farmers to remain cautious and not go to their fields at night.

"Don't spend too much time in the fields and check for updates with security officers," Ronny told thejakartapost.com on Monday.

Indonesia's most-wanted terrorist Santoso aka Abu Wardah is suspected to have led MIT in plotting and carrying out attacks against the police in Central Sulawesi.

Besides the forests, authorities also marked Poso Pesisir sub-district as a area in which many supporters of Santoso were believed to reside.

Central Sulawesi Police are cooperating with local figures as well as former combatants to help persuade local people against joining the terrorist group.

"Former Poso terrorism convicts have given so much help to us, such as deradicalization programs and also key information," Ronny said.

At least 2,000 TNI soldiers and police officers have been deployed as part of the 2016 Tinombala Operation to chase down Santoso and his 45 followers hiding in the forests of Poso.

TNI and police personnel have been divided into several teams with specific tasks such as a hunting team that searches for the group in the forest and an isolator team to narrow the group's movement.

The Indonesian Navy also deployed around 1,000 of its elite troops to Poso on Sunday to join the hundreds of Army Special Forces (Kopassus) personnel. (rin)(+)

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