Officials of the Lore Lindu National Park (TNLL) in Poso regency, Central Sulawesi, have closed Mount Rorekatimbu for hiking amid the ongoing Operation Tinombala, a manhunt for Indonesia's most wanted terrorist Santoso and his terror group the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT).
span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Officials of the Lore Lindu National Park (TNLL) in Poso regency, Central Sulawesi, have closed Mount Rorekatimbu for hiking amid the ongoing Operation Tinombala, a manhunt mission for the country's most wanted terrorist Santoso and his terror group the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT).
National park officials decided to temporarily close the area for hiking, TNLL head Sudayatna said on Monday. There are no details yet on when officials will start blocking off hiker entrance points to Mount Rorekatimbu.
The closing was related to Operation Tinombala, the nation's biggest joint operation between the police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) to capture Santoso, aka Abu Wardah, and his followers hiding in the mountainous areas of Poso.
Officials of the national park would open the hiking routes again once the operation ceased, Sudayatna said as reported by Antara news agency.
While the hiking routes are closed, visitors to the National Park could still access and camp at the Lake Tambing tourist site. Most visitors usually spend the weekend camping at the well-known lake.
Despite the closing, many visitors still came to the park -- which takes a two-hour drive from the provincial capital of Palu – with approximately 200 people on the weekend, he added.
Lake Tambing is favored by domestic and foreign visitors for its scenery and the opportunity to see rare birds. The lake is home to 270 bird species, 30 percent of which are endemic, including the Maleo bird.
Located 1,700 meters above sea level, Lake Tambing also offers other several attractions such as orchid parks and freshwater fishing.
Back in April, officials had also temporarily closed the Lake Tambing site as it was used as a base camp by security personnel for Operation Tinombala.
Security authorities have intensified their search for Santoso and the MIT, who are believed to be down to 22 members. The operation started in January. (rin)
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