INDONESIA: Arbitrary shootings, extra-judicial killings and intimidation of civilians in Poso 

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information concerning the shooting of two senior high school students in Jl. Gatot Subroto, Kasintuwu, Poso Kota, Central of Sulawesi, Indonesia on 8 November 2005.  At 6.50 pm, two unidentified persons riding motorcycles shot the two students before escaping the scene of the crime. This shocking attack on the two students has left the community of Poso distressed and afraid of further repercussions.  The community fears a repeat of the horrors during the 1998 social conflict.  The two high school students have been admitted to Poso Kota General Hospital, where they are in a critical condition. The latest information we have is that on November 9, the police chased and arrested one of the shooters but no further information has been received about the identification of the shooters as yet.

This incident is the latest in a spate of attacks on civilians in Central Sulawesi.  There have been reports of earlier arbitrary shootings, mutilations and bombings of civilians in the cities and surrounding areas of Poso and Palu, Central Sulawesi.  These attacks show a complete lack of value for human life and the persistent pattern indicates the total ineffectiveness of the law enforcement agencies to stop them.  After the 1998 social conflict, the government established the Sintuwu Maroso Operation (joint security operation between the military and police) in 2001 and the Intelligence Operation in 2003. Despite the advent of these operations, the violations persist and the safety of all civilians remains considerably vulnerable.
Despite the seriousness of this matter, the Indonesian police and other governmental authorities have not taken any serious action to prevent or to stop the violence. In addition, up to now, there has been no evaluation on whether the Sintuwu Maroso Operation and the Intelligence Operation really work.

We call for your urgent intervention in this matter. Please write an appeal letter to the Indonesian authorities requesting them to call for a thorough evaluation of the Sintuwu Maroso Operation and the Intelligence Operation, so as to hold responsible persons accountable for their actions.  An investigation also needs to be conducted into the incidents and any guilty parties should be brought to justice for their crimes. Please also urge them to take all possible measures to prevent acts of violence and protect to the safety of civilians in Central Sulawesi, and to introduce measures that will curb the widespread conflict.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission
———————————————————-
DETAILED INFORMATION:

Victims: Two senior high school students, Ivon (17) and Nuraini (17)
Alleged perpetrators: Two men (unidentified)
Date of incident: 8 November 2005
Place of incident: Jl. Gatot Subroto, Kasintuwu, Poso Kota, Central of Sulawesi, Indonesia  Poso

At 6.50pm on 8 November 2005, two senior high school students were shot in Jl. Gatot Subroto, Kasintuwu, Poso Kota, Central of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The two unidentified shooters committed the crime on motorcycles and escaped after the shootings. As a result of the incident the atmosphere in Poso is tense and the people are afraid and worry that there will be a repeat of the social conflict that occurred during 1998.  The victims of the shootings have been admitted to the Poso Kota General Hospital, where they remain in a critical state. The latest information we have is that on November 9, the police chased and arrested one of the shooters but no further information has been received about the identification of the shooters as yet.

Since 1998, approximately 1000 civilians have been murdered without justification and law enforcements agencies have been ineffective in preventing this situation. Violations and crimes committed against the civilians of Poso continue to occur and what is incredibly worrying is that they are becoming increasingly regular.  A week before, on October 29, three Christian schoolgirls were beheaded, and one student was injured by six unidentified assailants in Poso. The alleged perpetrators who committed this heinous crime were on motorcycles at the time and had their face covered. The police later located the heads and bodies of the victims, which had been left in different places. The latest information we have received is that the military have arrested five alleged perpetrators in relation to the beheading of the schoolgirls, one of whom is reported to be a former military police.  On October 31, a written threat was issued from an unidentified person or group stating that they will mutilate 100 heads of Christian people in Poso. On Eid Mubarak, November 4, a bomb was found in the house of the village head in Poso Kota. On November 6, another bomb was found in a house in Kayamanya, Poso Kota. It was also reported that there had been an attempted murder of a policeman by an unknown man.

These attacks show a complete lack of value for human life and the persistent pattern indicates the ineffectiveness of the law enforcement agencies to prevent them.  After the 1998 social conflict, the government established the Sintuwu Maroso Operation (joint security operation between the military and police) in 2001 and the Intelligence Operation in 2003. Despite the advent of these operations, the violations persist and the safety of all civilians remains considerably vulnerable. The police authorities’ inaction to establish an appropriate investigation into the horrific and distressing incidents demonstrates the incompetence and lack of professionalism of the regime. In many of the cases, they have arrested people who are the alleged perpetrators and then released them because they have not investigated the case thoroughly and thus have lacked sufficient evidence to continue.  They have also arrested various people who were in fact innocent. As a result, it is the civilians who suffer intimidation and fear on a day-to-day basis, remembering the horrors they witnessed during the 1998 social conflict and fearful that this level of violence is once again returning.

For more information on the 1998 social conflict, please look at the BBC News article ‘Indonesia ’98: A year of living dangerously’.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write to the persons listed below and express your concern about the police and intelligence services’ inaction regarding the shooting of the two students and the grave attacks, mutilations and bombings that are currently occurring in Poso.

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER