Poso conflict triggered shooting: Police

The Jakarta Post, Palu, Central Sulawesi | Fri, 05/27/2011


A brazen shooting that killed two police officers in Palu on Wednesday was revenge for police involvement in sectarian violence in neighboring Poso, the police say.

The police announced on Thursday that they had arrested two suspects linked to the shooting, which also seriously injured a third police officer. The two suspects were identified as Rafli, alias Furqon, 20, and Harianto, alias Anto, 20.

Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Dewa Parsana said that both suspects harbored resentment for police raids and arrests launched in several areas in Poso.

Poso was rocked by sectarian conflict from 1998 to 2002 that claimed around 1,000 lives and displaced 25,000.

“From preliminary investigations, the two were the perpetrators of the shooting of the police officers,” Dewa told reporters on Thursday.

Four helmeted men riding motorcycles stopped in front of a BCA branch office in Palu on Wednesday. Two dismounted and fired at three police officers guarding the bank.

Second Brig. Januar (not Gustiar as previously reported) Yudhistira was shot in the neck and head, and died on the way to hospital. Second Brig. Andi Irbar Prawira died on the scene from bullet wounds to the chest and arm.

Second Brig. Deddy Edward Undusten survived a bullet wound to the leg.

Dewa Parsana said the two suspects were arrested by the police’s Densus 88 antiterror unit in Palolo district, Sigi regency, which is about a one-hour drive south of Palu.

The police confiscated a high-powered rifle and a motorcycle, and were still pursuing the two other perpetrators in the attack, one of whom was reported to have taken the sidearm of the one of the murdered police officers.

They were believed to be heading to Poso on a motorcycle.

The gunmen were described by the police as suspected Anak Bebek (ducklings), a police term for young locals aged between 15 and 20 recruited by warring groups in Poso.

The bodies of Januar and Andi Irbar were flown by Lion Air to Makassar, South Sulawesi, for burial. Deddy was still at Bhayangkara Police Hospital in Palu.

“We will leave it to the police to uncover this case. Hopefully, the perpetrators will be detained soon and brought to justice,” Adj. Comr. Muhammad Ali Lantara, Januar’s father, said in Makassar while attending his son’s burial at Siri’ na Pacce cemetery.

“We are proud that he died in the line of duty,” he said, adding that he hoped his son’s death would be the last time a police officer was killed in such a shooting.

In Palu, the police set up a permitter around the BCA branch where the shooting occurred. The bank remained closed.

“We may resume operation within one or two days,” Johannes, a bank official, said.

At the time of the BCA shooting, another shooting involving two men riding a motorcycle was reported elsewhere, but no fatalities were reported.

The police did not say whether the two incidents were related.