Conflict reignites in Mamasa

National News - October 17, 2004

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After a year of relative peace, a violent communal conflict erupted again on Saturday in Aralle district, Mamasa regency, West Sulawesi province, leaving scores of homes and a church burned.

No fatalities were reported, Antara news agency reported.

Witnesses said that the renewed conflict began to flare up on Thursday, when minor clashes occurred between those who supported and opposed a split of Polewali Mamasa regency into two regencies: Polewali Mamasa and Mamasa.

The conflict dragged on until dawn Saturday when at least 18 houses and a church we set on fire and razed. It was not clear, which group was responsible in the arson attack.

The residents of Aralle, Tabulahan and Mambi districts come from two distinct groups. The first is the Muslim transmigrants from western Indonesian islands, who oppose the split of Polewali Mamasa into two regencies. They are, however, a minority in the regency, which is dominated by the native residents, most of whom are Christians.

A local police officer said that some 200 policemen had been deployed to restore order in the area, especially Aralle.

The prolonged conflict in Mamasa regency dates back to the end of 2002, when the central government gave the green light for a split of Polewali Mamasa.

The decision sparked an uproar among residents of three districts in Mamasa regency, namely Aralle, Tabulahan and Mambi districts, which have a population of around 20,000.

The conflict heightened in September 2003, when a major clash occurred in the three districts, leaving three dead and forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes.

Ethnicity, religion and economic factors have fueled the violence.

The deep socio-religious differences often exacerbate problems and lead to fatal conflicts.

Mamasa regency is now part of the newly established West Sulawesi province, which recently split off from South Sulawesi province. West Sulawesi province has five regencies; Polewali Mandar, Mamasa, Majene, Mamuju and North Mamuju .

Separately on Saturday, Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno, who was in Mamuju, the capital of West Sulawesi province, was apparently already informed about the renewed clashes. Hari was in Mamuju, some 540 kilometers north of Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province, to inaugurate West Sulawesi province as the nation's 33rd province, following a recent endorsement by the House of Representatives.

In his speech in the inauguration ceremony, Hari urged the acting governor of West Sulawesi province, Oentarto Sindung Moewardi, to resolve the prolonged conflict in the three districts.

The Jakarta Post, 10/17/2004 6:20:08 PM

Police hunt alleged provocateurs in West Sulawesi

JAKARTA (Antara): Police are searching for 12 people suspected of provoking unrest in Aralle subdistrict, Mamasa district, West Sulawesi , a police officer said on Sunday.

At least two people died and scores of houses were destroyed in the recent unrest.

"We have their identities and hope they will be arrested for questioning as soon as possible," South Sulawesi Police chief Insp. Gen. Saleh Saaf said in Makassar .

Saleh said the unrest was sparked by a dispute over the formation of a new district in the province.

The dispute was between supporters and opponents of a 2002 law splitting Polewali Mamasa district into two separate districts -- Polewali and Mamasa.

Police reinforcements were sent to the area to help maintain security after thousands of people fled their homes following the fighting, Saleh said

All contents copyright © of The Jakarta Post.

Thousand flee riot-torn village

National News - October 18, 2004

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar

Tension was still high on Sunday in a village in Aralle district, some 400 kilometers from the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar , after two people were reported killed and dozens of homes burned down in a communal clash over a dispute on the formation of a new regency there.

Hundreds of residents fled North Aralle village, now officially part of the recently established province of West Sulawesi , after it was hit by two days of renewed conflict on Friday, officials said.

Polewali Mamasa Regent Ali Baal confirmed that some 1,000 residents had fled the riot-torn village to neighboring Natula village, Mambi district, while hundreds of police officers evicted the attackers and reestablished control of North Aralle .

The two killed in the incident were identified as Muis, 42, who was stabbed with a machete and a spear, and a child who was allegedly trampled to death during the clash, Mambi district head Ahmad Appa said.

"Based on our data, the death toll is two, namely Muis and a child, while at least 31 houses and a mosque were set ablaze," he said.

However, South Sulawesi Police chief Insp. Gen. Saleh Saaf denied on Sunday reports of casualties in the clash. "So far, no victims have been killed. Only one person sustained stab wounds from a spear," he said in Makassar .

The dispute erupted between supporters and opponents of a 2002 law that split Polewali Mamasa regency into two -- Mamasa and Polewali Mamasa, or Polmas.

Muslim residents from the three districts of Aralle, Tabulahan and Mambi rejected the split because they would be included in the newly created regency of predominantly Christian Mamasa, and feared losing out on jobs or restrictions on religious freedom.

Mamasa regency is now part of West Sulawesi province, which recently split off from South Sulawesi . West Sulawesi has five regencies: Polewali Mandar, Mamasa, Majene, Mamuju and North Mamuju .

Ali Baal said the two-day clash flared up when residents, mostly Christians in support of the new province, attacked their Muslim opponents in North Aralle and occupied the village.

The clash was triggered when Andi Jalilu strung up banners reading "ATM (Aralle, Tabulahan and Mambi) is part of Mamasa regency", in five areas of the village where residents mostly opposed to the split lived.

The banners were immediately taken down by the residents, who also expelled Jalilu from North Aralle .

Jalilu later returned along with hundreds of supporters and launched an attack on Friday afternoon. North Aralle villagers fled for safety, as they were unable to repel the attackers.

Saaf said the conflict was provoked initially when Aralle district head Wahab, who backed the split, was beaten on Sept. 23 by a man from the rival camp.

The South Sulawesi police chief said North Aralle was being guarded by 265 policemen to prevent further fighting, while others were hunting down Jalilu and his 11 accomplices for provoking and perpetrating the clash.

Another suspect, who allegedly financed the assault, has been identified, Saaf added.

The conflict was the third to hit North Aralle after Law No. 11/2002 was enacted to establish Mamasa regency. In September 2003, three people were killed and dozens of houses razed in a similar clash. The second violence erupted in July this year, but no casualties were reported.

Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno was inaugurating West Sulawesi province on Saturday as the country's 33rd province at its capital, Mamuju, when the latest unrest broke out.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Hari asked acting West Sulawesi Governor Oentarto Sindung Moewardi to resolve the prolonged conflict in the three districts.

Heridos por choques entre cristianos y musulmanes en Indonesia

Yakarta, 18 oct (PL) Un ataque hoy de un grupo cristiano contra la comunidad musulmana del poblado de Aralle, en la provincia indonesia de Sulawesi, (antigua Célebes), dejó al menos dos heridos, informaron fuentes policiales.

El choque armado fue precedido por otros, que el sábado provocaron la muerte a dos personas y obligaron a huir a cerca de un millar.

También varios enfrentamientos en el oeste de la isla, una de las más importantes del archipiélago indonesio, causaron el incendio de 31 viviendas y de una mezquita, según medios de prensa locales.

Cientos de policías enviados por el gobierno intentan rescatar el orden en Sulawesi, mientras algunos residentes musulmanes se refugian en las montañas ante el temor de nuevos ataques, informó el general Saleh Saaf, inspector jefe de la policía regional.

Tales sucesos ocurrieron el mismo día en que el ministro indonesio de Interior, Hari Sabarno, inauguraba la nueva provincia de Sulawesi Occidental, lo cual no se cumplió desde su aprobación en 2002 debido a la fuerte oposición de los moradores musulmanes, que constituyen minoría en la nueva demarcación.

Desde hace más de cinco años en esta región tienen lugar fuertes enfrentamientos entre las comunidades cristiana y musulmana, conflicto que ha quitado la vida a miles de personas.

Indonesia en el país de mayor comunidad musulmana del mundo, pero incluye minorías religiosas de unos 30 millones de personas.

mgt/esp

The Jakarta Post, 10/18/2004 5:38:54 PM

Two more wounded as dispute continues in Sulawesi

JAKARTA (JP): Violence continued in West Sulawesi province on Monday as two more people were wounded in a dispute over the formation of a new district which has seen thousands of people flee their homes, according to the Agence France Presse.

About 300 people launched a mid-morning attack on a village in Aralle, leaving two people with slash wounds, said Insp. Gen. Saleh Saaf, the police chief of neighboring South Sulawesi province which is responsible for security in the area.

Two people have died in the same region since Friday when violence erupted between supporters and opponents of a 2002 law splitting the Polewali Mamasa district into two separate districts -- Polewali and Mamasa.

Police say reinforcements have been sent to the area and thousands of people leave their homes following the initial fighting. (**)

All contents copyright © of The Jakarta Post.

Fresh violence erupts in Mamasa, one killed

National News - October 19, 2004

Andi Hajramurni and Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar/Bandung

After two days of relative calm, violence broke out again in Aralle district, Mamasa regency, killing one man and injuring another. The incident occurred at 10 a .m when some 300 Christians supporting the split of Polewali Mamasa regency into two regencies attacked those who opposed the split in the mountainous Aralleana subdistrict, Aralle district, Mamasa regency, West Sulawesi province.

The attack was an apparent retaliation after scores of Christian houses and a church was burned down at dawn on Saturday in Aralle district.

Two residents opposing the split, Suharman and Usman, sustained severe stab wounds, according to chief of South Sulawesi Police Insp. Gen. Saleh Saaf, who also oversees the newly established West Sulawesi province. Suharman died later at a local hospital.

The death of Suharman brought the total victims in the spate of violence that began on Saturday to three.

Saleh said that police personnel were immediately dispatched to Aralle, some 400 kilometers from the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar , to defuse the situation.

Upon arriving in the scene, hundreds of personnel with the elite police unit the Mobile Brigade quickly dispersed the attackers. Outnumbered and ill-equipped, the attackers fled to the jungle.

In order to prevent further fatalities, the police are focusing on guarding several housing complexes whose residents oppose the split of Polewali Mamasa into two regencies: Polewali Mamasa and Mamasa regencies, said Saleh.

The two-star general explained that the police were also tracking down 12 people suspected of being responsible for the renewed conflict in Mamasa regency.

Currently, almost 400 soldiers and police personnel are stationed in Aralle district to keep the security situation in check in the area.

The fresh violence on Monday was the third after a law was passed two years ago, which split Polewali Mamasa into two regencies. The split drew strong protests from the predominantly Muslim districts of Aralle, Tabulahan and Mambi, who feared that they would be a minority in the new predominantly Christian regency of Mamasa. Besides the issue of religion, the residents in the three districts also objected to the split on the grounds that the three districts were much closer to Polewali Mamasa regency. They complained that it would be efficient in term of bureaucracy and the economy if the three districts remained under the territory of Polewali Mamasa regency. But, the protest fell on deaf ears after the central government threw its weight behind the passing of the law that split Polewali Mamasa into two.

After prolonged protests, violence broke out in September last year, killing three. Violence broke out again on Saturday, killing two.

ASIE / INDONESIE - Installation du nouveau Gouvernement : il devra faire face aux signes de tension inter-religieuse en Indonésie orientale

(Agence Fides, 21 octobre 2004, 35 lignes, 425 mots)

Djakarta (Agence Fides) - Le nouveau gouvernement indonésien du nouveau Président Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono s’est à peine installé, qu’arrivent des signes préoccupants de la région de Sulawesi, en Indonésie orientale. L’île a été touchée de 2000 à 2002 par le conflit civil qui a enflammé les îles indonésiennes des Moluques, et qui voit s’opposer la communauté musulmane et la communauté protestante, avec l’intrusion également de provocateurs étrangers et de groupes fondamentalistes islamiques comme le « Laskar Jihad ». Les affrontements à Sulawesi ont entraîné la mort d’un millier de personnes : au mois de décembre 2001, le gouvernement de Djakarta est parvenu à obtenir la signature d’un accord entre les deux parties, et depuis lors la situation s’était pacifiée.

En raison précisément du récent conflit, qui a laissé des plaies toujours ouvertes, de nouveaux épisodes de violence suscitent des craintes dans la communauté catholique locale : deux protestants ont été tués il y a quelques jours dans un village près de Palu.
La raison officielle de la protestation, qui a vu des attaques contre des villages chrétiens, est la division administrative du district de Polewali Mamasa ( 400 kilomètres de Makassar, Sulawesi méridionale), qui place quelques villages musulmans dans un district à majorité chrétienne.

Dans la province de Sulawesi centrale, on a enregistré ces jours derniers des moments de tension et des actes d’intolérance : incendies de maisons et de récoltes, attaques par des groupes musulmans de fermes de chrétiens indonésiens, en tuant des porcs, considérés comme des animaux impurs par l’islam. D’après des sources locales, les attaques se poursuivent, même si le gouvernement a renforcé le contingent de police déployé dans la région.

Dans un commentaire à l’Agence Fides, le Père Ignazio Ismartono a déclaré : « Comme chrétiens, nous demandons seulement d’être traités comme les autres citoyens indonésiens, de ne pas être victimes de discriminations, de pouvoir exercer nos droits et nos devoirs, comme tous les autres, et de pratiquer notre foi ».
D’autre part, dans les îles Moluques voisines, les communautés religieuses ont renouvelé leur engagement à promouvoir une culture et une éducation à la paix, spécialement chez les jeunes générations. L’Eglise locale cherche à renforcer les liens d’amitié » et de coopération avec la communauté musulmane : à l’occasion de l’ouverture du mois du Ramadan, l’Evêque d’Amboina, Mgr Petrus Mandagi a envoyé un Message de vœux aux dirigeants de la communauté islamique.
90% des 215 millions d’Indonésiens sont musulmans. Les chrétiens représentent 5%. (P.A.)

Unattributed report: "Instigator of violence in Aralle arrested" Produced by FBIS partner, the Australian Government's OSB

Originally published on 10/21/2004 by Kompas (Internet Version-WWW) in Indonesian

[FBIS Translated Excerpt]

Mamasa, Kompas: The instigator of the riots in Aralle, Andi Jalilu, was arrested by police at his hiding place in an area of forest in Aralle subdistrict on Wednesday afternoon (20 Oct). Police also confiscated more than 100 short machetes, spears, bow and arrows, and 50 home made weapons. Andi Jalilu was taken by helicopter to the Parepare District Police HQ for interrogation.
Head of South Sulawesi District Police, Inspector General Saleh Saaf said on Wednesday afternoon [20 Oct] that Andi Jalilu's arrest was an outcome of police searches. Jalilu was arrested when police encircled an area of forest suspected of being the attackers hiding place. [passage omitted -- repetitive detail]
With the arrest of Andi Jalilu, eleven other provocators remained at large.
South Sulawesi Police Chief said "We urge them to surrender. No residents have been arrested, because we are searching for those who provoked the riots."
Tense [subhead]
The atmosphere in Aralle and Mambi subdistricts remained tense last night [20 Oct]. The community opposed to [the formation of] Mamasa stayed on guard as a group, and has concentrated its watch over the major towns in Mambi subdistrict and a number of villages, such as Sondang Laju and Rante Bulahan villages.
Security forces have assumed control over Uhailanu village in Aralle subdistrict, which came under attack on Tuesday afternoon [19 Oct]. However there wasn't one resident left in the village. They have all fled to Talippuki subdistrict and towns in Mambi. [passage omitted -- previously reported detail]
To avoid prolonged conflict, the West Sulawesi provincial government is considering establishing the areas of Aralle, Tabulahan and Mambi (ATM) as one district. "Preparations will soon be made to establish ATM as a district, since preparations are needed before establishing a district," Oentarto said. [passage omitted -- repetitive detail]

Jakarta Kompas in Indonesian -- Indonesia 's largest daily newspaper

22nd October 2004

Five more Mamasa 'provocateurs' nabbed

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar

The Indonesian military (TNI) and police personnel arrested on Thursday five more suspects accused of provoking a recent riot in Mamasa regency, West Sulawesi province.

The arrests were made one day after the joint team of police and TNI soldiers apprehended Andi Jalilu, the main suspect behind the recent Mamasa clashes, which claimed at least three lives.

"With the arrest of the six people, including Andi, the security personnel are now tracking down six other (alleged) provocateurs in the Mamasa violence," said Insp. Gen. Saleh Saaf, the chief of South Sulawesi provincial police, who also oversees the newly established West Sulawesi province.

The five suspects arrested by police were Burhanuddin, Darwis, Sudarmin, Kasim and Yahya. Sudarmin and Kasim are allegedly the persons responsible for provoking violence during an earlier clash in Mambi district, Mamasa regency back in July. Meanwhile, Darwis and Yahya were held responsible for violence on Saturday last week in Aralle district, Mamasa regency, in which two were confirmed killed.

The violence dragged on until Monday and another fatality was reported.

Saleh explained that Andi Jalilu, Burhanuddin and Darwis had already been transported to the Pare-Pare regency police station in South Sulawesi for interrogation. The others should arrive by Friday.

According to Saleh, besides focusing on the search of the six other suspects, the security personnel were also doing door-to-door weapons searches in Aralle and Mambi districts. The security personnel also conducted patrols in the two districts to prevent further violence from flaring up.

He claimed that the situation in the two districts was already under police control, but some 1,500 refugees were still living in refugee camps and their relatives' homes because they fear further violence.

Local governments have offered logistical support for the refugees, Saleh added.

The Mamasa conflict has simmered for over two years, since a law was passed splitting Polewali Mamasa into two regencies: Polewali Mamasa and Mamasa. The split drew strong protests from the Muslim migrants, who are mostly clustered in the districts of Aralle, Tabulahan and Mambi. The migrants fear that they would be discriminated against in the newly created regency of Mamasa because its indigenous, predominantly Christian population would be in the majority. Besides the issue of religion, the residents in the three districts also objected to the split on the grounds that the three districts were much closer to Polewali Mamasa regency.

The protests did not change the lawmakers' minds, and it fueled tension in the three districts. Clashes first broke out in September last year between residents supporting the split and others who rejected it. Three people were confirmed killed in those bloody clashes.

(source :http://www.thejakartapost.com)

No. 08/V/October 26 - November 01, 2004
National

Regency Split

The recent clashes in Mamasa are the outcome of ethnic conflicts—blamed on the central government.

SHE appeared from the underbrush of a cocoa plantation. Given her disheveled appearance, people might think she was rather insane. However, look at the baby she was breastfeeding and the small child clinging to her arm. She was overwhelmed by the fear of death stalking her.

The woman, Nurhaeni, had to leave her home in Nanakan, Aralle district, West Sulawesi . She was part of a huge wage of refugees that continued to flow in—in the dead of night—from dozens of villages in Aralle. After arriving in Mambi, they were accommodated in a school building and in the homes of locals. Mambi's district head claimed they had accommodated about 2,000 refugees in the past week.

This wave of refugees was the result of clashes between locals, sparked by a difference in opinion following the splitting of Polmas (Polewali_Mamasa) Regency. By virtue of Law No. 11/2002, the government has split Polmas Regency into Polmas and Mamasa regencies.

Splitting a territory into two is not as easy as cutting a cake. Rejection was heard in three districts—Aralle, Tabulahan and Mambi, or ATM for short—which were included in Mamasa Regency. Some residents refused to join Mamasa and asked that they remain united with Polmas Regency.

This rejection has its origin in history. Mamasa is dominated by the people close to the Toraja people, most of whom are Christians. Polmas, meanwhile, is where the Mandar people live. Most Mandar people are Muslims.

The three districts embroiled in clashes are the meeting point for these two ethnic groups. Mandar people refused to join Mamasa because they are afraid they will be relegated to being a minority group. The Toraja people also fear they will be a minority group if they form a part of Polmas.

Those that opposed this expansion refer to the history of the Mandar people. Their history notes there are 14 kingdoms, namely Pitu Ba'bana Binanga (seven kingdoms in the river estuary), and Pitu Ulunna Salu (seven kingdoms in the mountains). In a customary agreement drawn up four centuries ago, the forefathers of these people vowed never to part from one another despite anything. The tumultuous regions are three of the seven kingdoms of Pitu Ulunna Salu, and they intend to keep the vow of their forefathers.

Apart from this historical factor, these people are separated by their traumatic experiences. In the early days of the Republic of Indonesia , Muslims in these three districts were labeled followers of the Darul Islam/Tentara Islam Indonesian (a rebel group in the mid-1960s). To quell the rebellion, the government involved Mamasa residents in its People's Resistance Operation.

Since then, it has been impossible to eliminate these disputes. These people live in their respective communities. A Christian would stay only in a village where the entire population was Christian. Likewise, Muslims would stay only in Muslim villages. The splitting of Polmas Regency has stirred these locals' sentiment. As a result is the presence of two district heads in one district, two headmasters in one school, and two community health center chiefs. One of these double chiefs favors the establishment of Mamasa as a new regency, while the others oppose.

On Saturday two weeks ago, just before West Sulawesi was officially named Indonesia 's 33rd province, tension intensified. A day later a dispute broke out and could not be stopped. The two groups faced each other, their weapons unsheathed. White and red pieces of cloth were used so that people could distinguish the two groups. This dispute has led to three people being killed, 47 houses burned to the ground, and over 2,000 residents leaving home for a safer place.

In the past few days, the security apparatuses began to take control of the situation. Police confiscated 50 homemade firearms and hundreds of sharp weapons, and last Thursday nabbed three people suspected as the riot provocateurs. Two are local residents and the other is Ana Andi Jalilu, the village head of Aralle. Jalilu has been accused of triggering the conflict. A number of eyewitnesses said they saw him putting up banners that triggered the people's anger.

Hasyim Manggabarani, one of the community leaders in Mandar community and also the former Polmas Regency, agreed that the Mandar people could not be separated from their history. However, he could not accept the suggestion that the recent riots were rooted in ethnic and religious differences. "Not every Muslim refuses to join Mamasa," he told Tempo. He blamed, instead, the law regulating the splitting of the regency because it has ignored the input from the regions.

A decision passed by Polmas Regional House of Representatives (DPRD)—and used as one of the fundamental reasons for the splitting of Polmas Regency—stipulates that community members wishing not to join Mamasa are free to join Polmas. Further, this Law No. 11/2002 has also confirmed the inclusion of the three districts referred to earlier in Mamasa Regency. "How could this proposal be changed?"

Meanwhile, Mamasa Regent Said Saggaf, remained committed to the legal stipulation that these three districts would be part of Mamasa territory. "However, some friends in Polmas still cling to the decision of the Polmas DPRD," he said.

One source who has followed the development of this particular law said that the amendment was made in Jakarta . Intensive lobbying by a particular group resulted in these grey areas being eventually included as part of Mamasa. "These three districts have become a bone of contention thanks to their agricultural and estate potentials," said the source, who requested anonymity.

Ferry Mursidan Baldan, Deputy Chairman of Commission II of the House of Representatives (1999_2004) involved in the process of legal drafting of the splitting of Polmas, rejected the allegation. The House, he said, even offered that the deliberation over this law should be postponed. However, the officials in the two disputing areas insisted that the deliberation should continue. "They said they could settle any disputes together," Ferry noted.

At present, the West Sulawesi provincial administration is planning a way to settle the conflict. Acting Governor of West Sulawesi, Oentarto Sindung Mawardi, said one of the options available to settle the conflict is the establishment of a new regency that would be made up of the three disputing districts. Establishing a new regency while a conflict is still raging requires a long-term measure. "Our short-term objective is to encourage the refugees to return to their homes," said Oentarto, after a meeting with regional heads in West Sulawesi on Wednesday last week.

Agung Rulianto, Irmawati (Makassar)