Security has been stepped up on the borders of the Central Sulawesi town of Poso to curb the movement of members of the Santoso-led East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) terrorist group.

National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti said the efforts to beef up security were important as Santoso and his group had been cornered in the jungle.

"We are set to anticipate their entrance to Poso [...] This means tightening security at the borders," Badrodin said on Monday as quoted by kompas.com.

In relation to the potential flow of Santoso's supporters entering Poso, Badrodin said, the police had tightened security along the borders between Indonesia and Malaysia.

Based on information gathered by the police, a number of Chinese Uighurs residing in Malaysia had allegedly been involved in radical movements.

The Uighurs' involvement in radical groups was still questionable and thus the National Police needed to cooperate with the Malaysian Police to investigate the issue, the police chief said.

Separately, National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Anton Charliyan said that as the MIT had been cornered and had run out of supplies, the police expected them to immediately surrender.

The number of members remaining in Santoso's group continues to decrease and is now believed to be down to 30. Some members have also separated from the group to search for food.

One member was reported to have escaped from the group and subsequently ate six plates of food, showing signs that the MIT had indeed run out of supplies, Anton said.

"In fact, it was one of our strategies from the start; we were going to cut their logistics transportation," he said, adding that it was one of the ways to push the terrorists to surrender.

The joint police and military force under Operation Tinombala, established to capture Santoso, aka Abu Wardah, and his followers, is now attempting to curb the movement of the MIT in the jungle.

Badrodin said the troops were monitoring a number of locations at the base of the mountain, suspected to be access points for terrorist movements. Previously, officials have caught several logistics and ammunition suppliers who were attempting to transport the MIT's needs up the mountain.

The police hoped that the operation would finish soon as the hunt for Santoso, the man behind several killings and attacks in Central Sulawesi over the last few years, had used a lot of money, Anton added. (afr/bbn)(+)

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