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September 11, 2006
Indonesia: Four Muslims Admit Anti-Christian Violence
We reported yesterday that a Christian man and a woman were killed recently in bomb attacks in Poso, Central Sulawesi province, Indonesia. 50-year old John Tobeli was killed in a bomb attack on Wednesday, September 6, in the coastal village of Tangkuran in Poso district. On Saturday, September 9, 20-year old Nela Saliango was killed by a bomb thrown into the yard of her house in Poso town by two men on motorcycles.
Today, the Jakarta Post reports that police currently have 12 people under interrogation in connection with these and earlier attacks. Four of those in custody have already confessed to their involvement in the anti-Christian violence.
We speculated that the violence may be connected with the case of three Catholics from East Nusa Tenggara province, who were due to be shot by firing squad on August 12, but then had their executions delayed. The three men, Fabianus Tibo, 60, Marinus Riwu, 48, and Dominggus da Silva, 42, were convicted in April 2001 of fomenting violence and killing Muslims in Poso in May 2000. There is ample evidence that the men have been made scapegoats, and did not receive a fair trial.
The local head of police, Commander General Paulus Purwoko, said the four individuals who confessed said that they "wanted to seek revenge for what Tibo and the others had done."
There were 1,000 people killed in sectarian conflict in Central Sulawesi between Muslims and Christians from 1998 to 2002, with the vast majority of the victims being Christian. Poso's population is about 50-50 split between Muslims and Christians.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at September 11, 2006 10:45 AM
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