Persecuted Infidels in Indonesia

Bali Bombers Condemn Indonesian Government as Infidels

2008-08-22T22:48:00.000+07:00

Cilacap, Indonesia (ANTARA News) - Two of the three Bali bombers awaiting execution for the attacks that killed over 200 people on Wednesday condemned Indonesian authorities as enemies of Islam.

Convicted terrorists Ali Ghufron and Imam Samudra, who are on death row in an island prison off Central Java, released statements to the media through their lawyers as the government prepared their executions by firing squad.

"Dying as a martyr is my ambition, my dream, and my hope," Ghufron wrote.

"If God wills that I be executed by infidels, including hypocrites and apostates, because I am fighting jihad in the way of God, then that means that my greatest ambition has been achieved."

Samudra, who chose the tourist nightspots targeted in the 2002 blasts on the holiday island of Bali, accused Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the judiciary of being "forces of Satan."

Read the whole story here

I wouldn't really call the government infidels ..........kafirized hypocrite Muslims would be a more appropriate label because the bombers were acting in accordance to Muhammad's teachings and actions and are being punished by fellow Muslims for harming or killing infidels. That goes against Muhammad's teachings.

Bali Bombers Execution Delayed

2008-08-22T20:24:00.001+07:00

From AKI Adnkronos

Bali, 21 August (AKI) - The three Islamic militants convicted of the 2002 Bali bombing have been given a stay of execution due to the upcoming holy fasting month of Ramadan in September.

Fearing a backlash from the Muslim community, Indonesian authorities have decided to delay the execution of Amrozi, his brother Mukhlas and Imam Samudra.

The three were convicted of planning and carrying out the nightclub bombings (Photo) in October 2002 which was the worst act of terrorism in Indonesia.

The attacks killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists, and injured another 209 people.

The Indonesian Attorney general's office had said it hoped to execute the Islamist militants who were convicted in 2003, before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins in early September.

It is now expected to be delayed until after Ramadan.

The three convicted terrorists, members of the militant Islamist Jemaah Islamiyah, are at Nusakambangan prison island in Central Java.

Is anyone surprised? It will probably be delayed longer after Ramadan while the argument as to whether it is halal for the Islamic terrorists to be shot instead of beheaded as per Shariah Law. Maybe in 2009?

Attack Forces Christians Off Campus

2008-08-22T19:55:00.003+07:00

Yes, Indonesia the model Muslim country for tolerance and democracy. Can you imagine if it was Christians trying to shut down a pesantren? The government, army and Brimob would be there in a split second (along with Front Pembela Islam, Hizbut Tahrir, MMI, and other Islamofascists who like to spit on the Pancasila and want to get rid of the infidels).

JAKARTA, INDONESIA: Hundreds of Christian theology students have been living in tents since a mob of angry Muslim neighbors stormed their campus last month wielding bamboo spears and hurling Molotov cocktails.

The incident comes amid growing concern that Indonesia's tradition of religious tolerance is under threat from Islamic hard-liners.

In talks since the attack, the Arastamar Evangelical School of Theology has reluctantly agreed to shut its 20-year-old campus in east Jakarta, accepting an offer this week to move to a small office building on the other side of the Indonesian capital.

"Why should we be forced from our house while our attackers can walk freely?" asked the Rev. Matheus Mangentang, chairman of the 1,400-student school.

The government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, which relies on the support of Islamic parties in Parliament, is struggling to balance deep Islamic traditions and a secular constitution. With elections coming next April, the government seems unwilling to defend religious minorities, lest it be portrayed as anti-Islamic in what is the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.

Read the whole story here

Poso militants trained in Afghanistan and Southern Philippines

2007-01-23T18:33:00.000+07:00

JAKARTA (JP): Police said Tuesday that the detained militants in Poso, Central Sulawesi had experienced military training in South Philippines and Afghanistan.

El Shinta radio station quoted a senior police officer that the detainees were able to shoot targets and organize their group very well.

The officer said they would be charged under, among other things, Law on Terrorism.

Police hunt for militants

2007-01-23T18:31:00.000+07:00

POSO, Central Sulawesi (AP): Police searched jungles on Tuesday in their hunt for suspected Islamic militants blamed for a string of attacks on Christians, a day after 13 alleged terrorists and one officer were killed in a gun battle with security forces on Sulawesi Island.

The raid on the conflict-ridden Indonesian Island was a sharp escalation in the fight against terrorists in the world's most populous Muslim nation. Police said they only shot the men after coming under attack.

Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Badrodin Haiti said he believed more than 50 other militants had escaped Monday's raid in the seaside town of Poso and had fled to nearby hills and jungles.

"They are dangerous because they still have automatic weapons and ammunition," he told The Associated Press. "We are searching for them."

Most of Indonesia's 190 million Muslims practice a moderate form of the faith, but terrorists have gained a foothold in recent years, carrying out a string of deadly terrorist attacks that have left scores dead.

Many have set up base on Sulawesi Island, the scene of bloody fighting between Muslim and Christian gangs six years ago that left at least 1,000 people from both faiths dead. Islamic extremists have been blamed for sporadic bombings, shootings and other attacks since then.

Security forces have carried out several operations on Sulawesi against Muslim militants they had publicly accused of being behind the attacks. Senior officers made public calls for the men to turn themselves in and met with local hard-line Muslim leaders to try and enlist their help, but had no success.

What a surprise!! No success. These Muslim leaders from Islamic Defenders Front and Poso Islamic Brotherhood Forum should be jailed for aiding and abetting, obstructing justice and harboring fugitives.

Latest news from Police vs. Muslim Militant battles in Poso

2007-01-23T18:24:00.001+07:00

Ten people including a police officer were killed in a gunfight between police and a group of armed civilians in Poso town in Central Sulawesi on Monday, police said.

"One of the fatalities is a member of the police`s Anti-terror Special Unit 88, Brigadier 2nd Class Rony Iskandar, while the nine others are civilians," Central Sulawesi Police Chief Brigadier General Badrodin Haiti told newsmen.

Haiti said the nine civilians killed in the incident were categorized as members of an armed group because when their bodies were evacuated they proved to have carried self-made firearms, ammunition and even explosives.

"Most of the dead civilian are on the police`s list of wanted persons," he said.

Haiti said he could not yet give the names of the dead civilians as they were still undergoing a full identification process.

"Their bodies have been moved from the Poso police headquarters to Poso`s general hospital," he said.

He said the body of Brigadier 2nd Class Rony Iskandar had meanwhile been flown to the provincial capital of Palu for an autopsy at the Bhayangkara police hospital along with three other police officers who were injured in the incident, namely Inspector 2nd Class Musliha, Brigadier 2nd Class I Wayan Panda and Brigadier 2nd Class Wahid.

Haiti said two civilians were also injured by stray bullets in the incident, namely Paijo (40) and Kusno (35) who were now being treated in Poso`s general hospital.

Meanwhle, Adjunct Senior Commisioner Muhammad Kilar, a Central Sulawesi police spokesman, said police had also arrested 19 men wanted by the police (for their alleged role in past acts of vilence in Poso) in an operation that had been going on since Monday morning.

"So, in all, 28 people (wanted for acts of violence) have been captured, including those killed," he said. The living prisoners had already been sent to the resort police station in Palu for interrogation.

He said during the sweeping operation, the police also confiscated many objects proving the arrrested men`s involvement in violence including tens of home-made bombs, 170 detonators, tens of firearms and thousands of active rounds of ammunition.

"All the evidence is being kept at the regional police station for use in interrogation," he said.

Kilar said Monday morning`s gunfight happened after a group of armed civilians attacked a joint police patrol unit with gun fire and bombs in Poso.

On Jan. 11, police in Poso killed a man they said was a senior member of the al-Qaida-linked regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, which was blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings and other deadly attacks in Indonesia in recent years.

Another bomb in Poso

2007-01-18T19:52:00.000+07:00

Palu, Central Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - A low-explosive bomb went off in Central Sulawesi`s restive town of Poso on Thursday morning but nobody was injured in the blast.

The bomb exploded at 09.20 a.m. at the gutter on the back of the Bank Sulteng`s branch or around 100 meters from the Poso police resort and the Poso market on Jl. Pulau Sumatra, a source told ANTARA News on Thursday.

The blast caused a panic among traders and visitors at the market.

A bomb defusing squad was sent to the scene to look into the blast.

Shoot on sight orders stand in Poso

2007-01-18T19:34:00.001+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - In the face of the chaotic situation in the restive town of Poso, Central Sulawesi, there was no better choice for the security agencies, the police in particular, but to take repressive measures, including an order to shoot anybody carrying fire arms without proper authorization on sight, a political observer said.

"Of course, they (security agencies) should act with due consideration of objective conditions in the field so that no victims will fall among people not involved in terrorism," Audy Wuisang, political observer at the University of Indonesia, said here Thursday.

"The shoot-on-sight order is appropriate but the objective situation in the field should also be considered to avoid innocent fatalities, especially among those who are not involved in any terror acts," Wusiang said.

So the Poso police`s policy to shoot on sight any rioter or any body found to be in illegal possession of weapons is right and appropriate, Wuisang said.

"In a restive situation, the authority of security officials should be enforced, and thus the police have the power to shoot on sight," he said.

Audy Wuisang said the real problem in Poso was that security personnel continued to be the target of civilian gunmen.

The shoot-on-sight order was issued by Central Sulawesi police chief Brig Gen Radrotin Haiti in an effort to overcome unrest following the killing of two suspected militants in a police raid recently.

Badrotin announced anyone unlawfully owning, keeping or using fire arms would be shot on sight.

On a separate occasion, a member of the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission I from the National Mandate Party (PAN) faction, Dedy Jamaluddin Malik, said security personnel were supposed to act in accordance with legal procedure and not violate human right values.

"A brutal action by the police will only prompt protracted hatred and animosity between them and the people," Dedy Jamaluddin said, adding that it could also be a boomerang to security personnel.

Sporadic acts of violence including bombings have continued to occur in Poso and environs since the formal end of a protracted sectarian conflict which ravaged the region in 2000-2001 killing and displacing thousands of people.

Dedy Jamaluddin Malik of hardline Islamic and terrorist supporting PAN party? Yes, protect the militants because they're Muslims and Islamic militants just like you, right Dedy?

Militant says beheadings were for revenge

2007-01-18T19:29:00.000+07:00

JAKARTA (AP): A militant who confessed to taking part in the beheadings of three girls on an Indonesian island wracked by religious violence said Wednesday he was motivated by a bloody attack on an Islamic boarding school.

Irwanto Irano - one of three men being tried for the Oct. 29, 2005 beheadings in the Sulawesi town of Poso - told the Central Jakarta District Court he surveyed the area four times before the slayings and reported the girls' habits to the ringleader.

"I was able to take part (in the massacre) because I remembered the uncivilized way in which (Christians) had acted," Irano told judges, pointing to the 2000 machete and gun attack on an Islamic boarding school that left at least 70 people dead.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, with 90 percent of its 220 million people practicing a moderate form of the faith, but Central Sulawesi has a roughly equal number of Muslim and Christians.

It was the scene of fierce gunbattles from 1998 to 2002 that left at least 1,000 people from both faiths dead. A peace agreement ended the worst of the violence, but tensions have flared anew in recent years, culminating in the 2005 beheadings of the three Christian girls and the wounding of a fourth.

Irano admitted to taking part in the attack, but said he did not behead anyone himself.

"I just cut into one of the girl's calves, and the others beheaded her," he told the court.

Poso police to shoot on sight during unrest

2007-01-17T19:21:00.000+07:00

Palu, Indonesia (ANTARA News) - Police in the restive Indonesian town of Poso said Tuesday they will shoot on sight anyone carrying weapons, following unrest which erupted after two suspected militants were killed in a police raid.

An angry mob of mourners killed a policeman on Thursday when he inadvertently passed the funeral of a Muslim preacher shot in the raid, which took place earlier that day.

The preacher was a member of the Jemaah Islamiyah regional terrorist group blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings and other attacks, the police was quoted by AFP as saying.

Police fired warning shots on Monday when they were attacked by an angry mob, and later that night shots and explosions were reported in the area.

"Following the restive situation in Poso, we announce that anyone owning, keeping or using arms will be shot on sight," local police chief Brigadier General Badrotin Haiti told reporters in Palu before leaving for Poso, 110 kilometres (70 miles) to the southeast.

National police spokesman Sisno Adiwinoto, however, said there were no orders to shoot on sight, adding the situation in Poso was now relatively calm.

"There are several dangerous spots, but businesses are running normally. Schools, traffic, all is normal," he told reporters in Jakarta.

He said police had so far arrested or killed 10 people on a wanted list of 29 suspected of involvement in a series of anti-Christian attacks in religiously-divided Poso district.

Police were hunting for the other 19, he said, adding that more names might be added to the list.

Police had said the 29 were believed to belong to two groups which have been accused of involvement in several violent incidents in Poso since 2001, including the 2005 beheadings of three Christian schoolgirls, inciting mob violence and several bombings of markets and churches.

Afghani trained Ryan ordered Poso bombings

2007-01-17T19:16:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Ryan who was shot dead as police were trying to catch five people put in the wanted list in connection with last week`s bomb blasts in the Central Sulawesi town of Poso ordered the making of bombs, a police spokesman said.

"Based on information from the arrested suspects, Ryan has ordered the making of bombs that were exploded in Poso," deputy chief of public relations division at the National Police Headquarters Brig. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam said on Monday.

He said the explosives used for making the bombs were brought from Semarang, Central Java, by sea.

"Ryan always made contact with Abu Dujana in Central Java who is now controlling JI (Jamaah Islamiyah)," he added.

Previously, the police task force arrested five of 24 people put in the wanted list in connection with the Poso violence on Jl. Pulau Jawa II in the Gebang Rejo village, Poso Kota sub district, last Thursday.

The five were identified as Dedi Parsan, Anang Muftadin, Paiman, Upik and Abdul Muis. Dedi was shot dead, while the other were injured.

Meanwhile, two other persons identified as Ryan and Ibnu who tried to prevent the police from arresting the suspects were shot in the incident. Ryan was killed, while Ibnu sustained gunshot wounds in the stomach.

The two were believed to have pelted police with four locally-assembled bombs but none of them reached the target. They also fired on the police.

Anton said Ryan whose real name was Santoso used to take part in a military training in Afghanistan using another name, Abdul Hakim.

Ryan also played a role as the organizer of meetings held in Magetan, East Java, on October 18, 2002 and in Cisarua, West Java, on April 5, 2003, he added.

Police kill two militants in raid

2007-01-12T20:36:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Two people were killed and seven arrested alive when Police raided a place believed to be the hiding place of people suspected of involvement in the Poso riots, National Police Chief Gen Sutanto said on Thursday.

"They refused to surrender and thus legal action ahd to be taken," he told the press after an impromptu meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

After the raid, police seized 18 firearms, five of which were police and Indonesian military standard weapons including revolvers and an M16 rifle.

Sutanto said poice also seized seven hand-made bombs.

UPDATE: Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Friday expressed his concern over the clashes between police and militants in Poso of Indonesia's Central Sulawesi province on Thursday, which killed two militants and one policeman.

"We are greatly concerned about the fatality from both sides," said Vice President Kalla.

The police shot dead two militants in raids on houses which were suspected of hiding place for the militants, who were allegedly involved in the sectarian strife between Muslims and Christians that erupted from 1999 to 2000.

After the burial of the militants, the mob attacked one police officer to dead, said the provincial police spokesman Muhammad Kilat.

The militants were part of dozens most wanted Muslims militants suspected of implicating in the sectarian clashes, said Poso police chief Rudi Suparyadi.

The sectarian conflict has left thousands of people dead, Suparyadi has said.

The vice president said the government has committed to settling the sectarian conflict in Poso by imposing firms rules.

"One of (the rules) is all the fugitive suspects must surrender, " he said.

The vice president is one of the mediators of the peace accord between the Christians and Muslims in the province in 2001.

The tense of security mounted last year after the killing of a Catholic priest in Palu, the capital of the province, and incident between police and Muslim communities in October, 2006.

In September last year, Indonesia executed three Christians for conviction of triggering mob into a sectarian violence in 2000 in Poso.

Terrorist's wife released from jail and free to hide him again

2007-01-02T10:25:00.000+07:00

Munfiatun, wife of Noordin M. Top, the most wanted man in SE Asia for masterminding the Bali bombings along with countless other bombings in Indonesia, has been released from the Sukun women's prison in Malang, East Java. She was released 9 months early from her 3 year sentence for good behavior.

Story here from the Jakarta Post.

JAKARTA (AP): The wife of one of Southeast Asia's most wanted terror suspects left prison Monday after serving 27 months in jail for helping hide her still-at-large husband, an official said.

Munfiatun, 30, was convicted of sheltering Noordin Top, a Malaysian accused of being a key leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, a regional terror network blamed for a string of suicide bombings in Indonesia, the most deadly being 2002 nightclub bombings on Bali island that killed 202 people.

Munfiatun told the warden of Malang women's prison on Indonesia's main island of Java that she would return to her hometown, also on Java.

"I have heard that my neighbors there are not concerned that I am the wife of a terrorist," she told the warden in front of journalists.

She served nine months short of her 3-year term because of time off for good behavior.

She was picked up at the jail by her mother and extended family members.

I guess this means she is free to hide her husband again. She should have received a heavier sentence but hey, she's a Muslim and it's Indonesia and we have seen that Indonesia is soft on local Muslim terrorists and their collaborators. Bali bombers Amrozi, Ali Gufron and Samudra have still not been executed, pending their appeal to overturn their convictions under the recent Terrorism Law (their lawyers are appealing that the law is not retroactive and cannot be applied to their clients). The bombers would have to be re-tried and may escape the death penalty. Seeing Indonesia's poor performance in instituting new legislation of any kind, one feels that the bombers have an excellent chance of winning their appeal as the Supreme Court has demonstrated that it likes throwing out new legislation, deeming it unconstitutional or weakly worded by lawmakers. This has prevented anti-graft legislation from taking effect and cleaning up rampant corruption in Indonesia.

Indonesia has also recently demonstrated that even convicted terrorists can be exonerated from their crimes. Indonesia Supreme Court recently overturned the conviction of Jemaah Islamiyah's spiritual leader and Islamic terrorist, Cleric Abu Bakr Ba'asyir. This means that while the world still recognizes him for what he is (a hardline Islamic terrorist, teacher of militant/terrorists and inspiration to militants/terrorists in Indonesia and throughout SE Asia), Indonesia recognizes Ba'asyir as innocent of involvement.

Indonesian Christians and foreigners wait tensely as Christmas draws near

2006-12-24T14:38:00.000+07:00

JAKARTA (AP): Tens of thousands of police were deployed at churches across Indonesia on Sunday amid warnings by Western nations that Islamic militants may be plotting Christmas bombings.

Indonesian officials downplayed the bulletins, which have become something of a tradition themselves since Christmas Eve bombings at churches across the world's most populous Muslim nation in 2000 killed 19 people.

The U.S. Embassy in Jakarta and Australia warned that the threat of an attack over the holiday season was "serious" and "credible" and that foreigners could be targeted, but did not say on what the alert was based on.

"The Australians and the Americans can say what they want, that is democracy," Indonesia's police spokesman Sr. Comr. I Ketut Untung Yoga Ana. "But up until now we have not seen any frightening signs."

Nevertheless, 18,000 officers had been deployed at churches in the capital, Jakarta and tens of thousands more will be on duty elsewhere in the sprawling nation, he said.

Bomb squad officers planned to search Jakarta's Dutch-era cathedral for bombs and Christmas Eve worshippers at major churches would be frisked before they entered, he said.

The United States and its regional ally, Australia, have long posted generic warnings that terrorists are plotting attacks in Indonesia, but they routinely issue fresh bulletins ahead of the holiday season.

The warnings are not based on intelligence of a specific threat, but rather reflect a general belief that attacks by Muslim extremists are more likely over Christmas.

Since then the 2000 bombings, militants from the Jamaah Islamiyah terror group have staged four major attacks, the most deadly being the October 2002 nightclub bombings that killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists. The last attack was more than 14 months ago.

Indonesian officials do not like the terror warnings, saying they hurt the country's economy by frightening tourists and are unfair given the global nature of terrorism.

And tourists and ex-pats don't like getting bombed!! The reality is is that there are several major players in terrorism still not captured and responsible for acts of terrorism in Indonesia. JI master bombmaker and terrorism planner Noordin M Top is still at large and Adnan Arsal, Islamic militant and terrorism leader in Central Sulawesi and approximately 25 others associated with him are still uncaptured by police. Top has probably trained others to perform bombings and are just waiting for the go ahead.

Ba'asyir cleared of terrorism conviction

2006-12-21T17:38:00.000+07:00

The lunacy and stupidity of this country absolutely astounds me more and more each day. I guess we can expect the Bali Bombers to be released next. Absolutely sickening.

JAKARTA (Antara): Supreme Court Thursday overturned a conviction against cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir on conspiracy charges in the 2002 Bali bombings.

The verdict clears his name since he has already served his two and a half year sentence.

"The verdict today upholds Ba'asyir's judicial review," German Hoediarto, the presiding judge of the Supreme Court, who chaired hearings of Ba'asyir case, was quoted by Antara news agency as saying Thursday.

Ba'asyir's lawyer Mahendra Datta said his client has received the report of the Supreme Court's verdict.

According to Mahendra, Ba'asyir responded the verdict, by saying "Thank God (Alhamdulillah). It (the decision) is Allah's wish. I only follow His wish."

Mahendra called on the South Jakarta Court to immediately execute the Supreme Court's decision, by making a public announcement "Ba'asyir is innocent."

South Jakarta District Court found Ba'asyir guilty of a "conspiracy" to commit the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians. He was acquitted on the more serious charges of direct involvement in the Bali attack and in the bombing of the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, which killed 12 people in August 5, 2003.

The cleric has maintained his innocence and denounced the allegations as a plot by Washington to silence his campaign for Islamic law.

Christian parents of beheaded school girls forgive assailants

2006-11-21T19:06:00.000+07:00

Poso (AsiaNews) – The parents of three Christian girls who were beheaded last year in Poso, central Sulawesi, have forgiven their daughters’ executioners. Yesterday, Indonesian police organized a meeting between families of the victims and the three terrorists now on trial. Hasanuddin, who organized the triple murder, repeatedly said he had repented and expressed his profound sorrow together with his two accomplices, Irwanto and Haris.

In tears, the mother of one of the girls said she was ready to pardon them. The Islamic militants and Christian families embraced and shook hands as a sign of peace.

The police spokesman said “the meeting of Poso has no political ends other than to promote harmony” and the forces of order had merely facilitated the encounter. The police chief Sutanto described the meeting as a “historic moment” when the victims and murderers could “exchange their deepest feelings and seek to forgive.”

Indonesia’s vice president Jusuf Kalla, said he hoped yesterday’s meeting would be “an opportunity to bring peace to Poso”.

On October 29, 2005, four Christian schoolgirls, all around 15 years of age, were walking home. Three were assaulted and beheaded by men using machetes near the Gebang Rejo area in Poso. The case repulsed public opinion and was strongly condemned by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Benedict XVI.

Hasanuddin, Irwanto and Haris have pleaded guilty to their part in their killings and could be condemned to death. The accused men said they attacked the young girls to avenge the death of many Muslims during inter-faith clashes in Poso between 1998 and 2001.

Bali victims still hurting from Indonesian legal system injustice

2006-11-18T09:10:00.000+07:00

(Herald Sun) AUSTRALIANS devastated by the Bali atrocities are angry that convicted terrorists have been released from jail.

Melbourne man Dale Atkin, who suffered severe burns in the Sari Club bombing in 2002, said he was haunted each day by thoughts of the masterminds behind the bombings.

He said the victims can never be free from the pain inflicted by the attacks.

Mr Atkin said anyone linked to terrorism in Bali should be jailed for at least 20 years, and the key protagonists executed.

"They've probably been in jail for maybe a couple of years. That's not enough, they're accessories to murder.

"They played a part in killing 202 people.

"What's next? Are they going to let the main players off who are waiting to be executed?

"I think about the ones on death row every day.

"I read the paper and think 'Have they killed them yet?' I'm nervous they will be let off too," Mr Atkin said.

Dave "Spike" Stewart, who lost his son Anthony in the Kuta nightclub blasts, said he was disgusted by the lenient sentences for terrorists and demanded Prime Minister John Howard intervene.

"I'm worried it'll be Amrozi and his brothers that will be released next," he said.

Mr Stewart feared more attacks would be planned.

"John Howard has got to do something because as soon as they get out they'll do it again," he said.

"If people think they can get away with doing things like this, it could be our grandchildren who are victims in later years."

Australia should halt all foreign aid to Indonesia until those convicted of involvement in terrorism are sentenced harshly, Mr Stewart said.

Leanne Woodgate, who escaped death when she fled Paddy's bar with her sister Samantha and AFL footballer Jason McCartney, said she was frustrated by the Indonesian legal system.

She said it gave no justice for those affected by the tragedy.

Ms Woodgate suffered severe burns in the bombing and is still traumatised by her ordeal.

She believes those involved in the bombing could plan more attacks from jail.

"They killed 202 people," she said.

"While they're alive they've still got the opportunity to plan these attacks. I believe they should die. You wouldn't want anyone to go through what we went through.

"It's so hard to come to terms with the processes.

"The (Bali Nine) drug mules didn't kill 202 people. There's just no consistency."

Militant tries to avoid the death penalty

2006-11-15T19:21:00.000+07:00

In a plea to try to save his life, beheadings ringleader Hasanuddin asks for mercy. Mercy is something didn't have before when planning the attacks so why should it be shown now for him?

(Releads with admission and comments from main defendant)

JAKARTA, Nov 15 (Reuters) - The main defendant in the beheadings of three Christian schoolgirls last year admitted on Wednesday he was involved in planning to carry out the attack but rejected charges he came up with the idea.

Prosecutors last week accused Muslim militant Hasanuddin of masterminding the atrocity although they said he did not take part in the actual ambush in the Poso region of Central Sulawesi province, an area where deadly Muslim-Christian clashes broke out from 1998 to 2001.

When the trial resumed on Wednesday, Hasanuddin said: "I was involved in this case." But he added a fugitive Islamic cleric had masterminded the plot during talks in which he participated.

"With honesty and sincerity coming from my heart, I ask for forgiveness from the families of the victims. I promise to never repeat it again," the 34-year-old said.

The beheadings triggered an outcry across Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, and beyond. The Vatican described the attack as "barbaric".

Prosecutors said last week the attack was plotted by Hasanuddin to avenge the killing of scores of Muslims at a boarding school by a Christian mob in 2000, the peak of the Poso violence.

Earlier on Wednesday, prosecutors outlined the roles of two other Muslim men in the beheading case.

The prosecution said defendants Lilik Purnomo and Irwanto Irano were following Hasanuddin's orders when they carried out the attack against four girls on their way to school.

"Irwanto Irano was assigned to lead the ambush on the small path assisted by four other members of the group. Lilik Purnomo was the field coordinator assigned to observe the situation," state prosecutor Firmansyah said.

Lead prosecutor Asep Maryono said the two defendants faced charges of criminal conspiracy in a terrorist crime and premeditated murder, both offences carry the maximum penalty of death.

Abu Bakar Rasyide, a defence lawyer for Purnomo and Irano, said after the court hearing: "We cannot accept the charges because they are not based on facts."

The prosecution said neither Purnomo nor Irano were the ones who swung the machetes that decapitated the three girls during the Oct. 29, 2005 attack.

The other alleged members of the seven-member ambush team are still at large, including one whose job was to make sure the girls could not escape.

One of the four girls who was attacked was wounded but managed to escape and report what had happened.

All three defendants are being tried under Indonesia's anti-terrorism laws and could face death by firing squad if the court finds them guilty.

The trials could last for months.

Bali bombers could be executed any day now

2006-11-15T19:07:00.000+07:00

Cilacap, C Java (ANTARA News) - Three death row convicts of the 2002 Bali bombings -- Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Ali Gufron alias Muklas -- said the sooner their execution the better, their lawyers said.

"Our three clients are ready for execution at any time. They are not afraid of being shot, beheaded, electrocuted or injected. But they asked that the death penalty must be done under the prevailing law," coordinator of the Muslim Lawyers Team, Achmad Michdan, said after visiting Amrozi and associates at the Batu prison, Nusakambangan, Cilacap, on Tuesday.

Achmad said he got information several times that Amrozi and his friends would be executed soon, and even certain persons informed they would face a firing squad tonight. Whereas, upto now the Muslim Lawyers Team are still collecting evidence to complete the document for a judicial review on the case of Amrozi and friends, so that the Attorney General`s Office would unlikely carry out the execution without the convicts` legal measures.

Another team member, Qadar Faisal, said his three clients did not question the time of their execution as they only asked that their families could attend the event.

"They want their families witness the execution or at least they would be in the same town. We also call on all parties to help pay the accommodation costs during their stay to witness the execution," he said.

Meanwhile, Imam Samudra asked for a chance to write a book on terrorism before his execution. The book would contain a number of statements and news which had cornered him.

"Imam hopes officials at the prison would provide him with a lap-top for writing a book on muslims and terrorists," Qadar said.

Poso murder suspect surrenders

2006-11-15T18:23:00.000+07:00

Palu, Central Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - One of 29 names on the list of men wanted by the police over alleged involvement in a series of attacks in sectarian conflict in Poso district, Central Sulawesi, surrendered to local security officials on Tuesday, Central Sulawesi police spokesman Adjunct Senior Commissioner Muhammad Kilat said here on Wednesday.

Kilat said Andi Illalu alias Andi Bocor, 38, gave himself up with the assistance of H Razak, a prominent figure in Mapane village, Poso Pesisir sub district on Tuesday.

Andi Bocor was included in the list of men wanted by the police after being officially charged for his involvement in the killing of Aswin, a Landangan villager in Poso Pesisir, last September.

Kilat said Andi Bocor on his own initiative met H Razak and asked the latter to facilitate his surrender to the local police.

After being informed by H Razak, local police team and anti- terror detectives picked Andi Bocor up and handed him to Poso Resort Police Headquarters for further investigation.

Aboard police special airplane, the suspect was then flown from Poso to Central Sulawesi provincial capital of Palu for questioning.

Meanwhile, Kilat also called on local community and religious figures to help facilitate the surrender of 28 others who remained at large.

Police need to arrest militant Arsal in Poso

2006-11-13T18:35:00.000+07:00

I don't get this. Adnan Arsal is a militant/terrorist and his group Poso Islamic Struggle Brotherhood Forum and his pesantren are involved in terrorism in the Poso area. He is hiding fugitives from the police to interfere with investigations into the recent terrorism and bombings in Poso and Palu. He has threatened the government and police with action if the elite forces Brimob are not removed from the area. His group has attacked the police in a rampage using guns, molotov cocktails, bombs and rocks while police were looking for the terrorists and weapon caches. His nephew is now standing trial for planning the beheadings of three Christian high school girls. His nephew's gang, which I'm sure the police have already connected to Arsal, is responsible for bombings and assassinations. This guy is one, if not the main instigator of trouble in Central Sulawesi and if Arsal and his gang is taken out then peace can be restored to Central Sulawesi.

TEMPO Interactive, Palu: A number of leading figures in Poso have rejected the police plan to capture Ustad (Islamic mentor) Abdul Rahman Saleh (Arsal), the leader of the Amanah Pesantren (Islamic boarding school), Tanah Runtuh, Poso.

In addition to considering the plan as nonsense, they assume it is a strong indication that the police actually have a hidden agenda regarding the Poso Muslim leader.

“The capture of Ustad Adnan would worsen the Poso conflict reconciliation process,” said Harun Nyak Item Abu, a youth leader from Kayamanya, Poso, yesterday (12/11).

Ustad Ahmad from Gebang Rejo said that Adnan has become a Poso Muslim fighter.

Arsal is the main cause of the problem now. How can it affect the reconciliation process? And Harun, aren't you connected with one of the militant groups? Same with you Ustad. How come you haven't been arrested yet?

Therefore, if the police do capture him, Poso residents will certainly react.

A few Poso residents will react, mostly the remnants of the terrorist groups Tanah Runtuh and Kayamanya groups. The 99% of the general Muslim population in Central Sulawesi want peace while these terrorists don't want the conflict to end.

“He has never run out from Poso when open conflict broke out,” he said.

The plan for Arsal capture was stated by Indonesian Police (Polri) spokesman, Brig, Gen. Sisno Adiwinoto, on Friday (10/11).

The reason given was that Arsal was suspected of providing protection for 29 fugitives involved in a terrorism case in Poso, in addition to committing provocation criminal acts.

Tajwin Ibrahim, a member of Poso Muslim Defence Team, said he intends to block police efforts to capture Adnan.

He also asked that the security system in Poso be evaluated.

This is because during the six years of Poso conflicts, the amount of police and Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel there has never been reduced.

Why should the personnel be reduced? The terrorists are keeping the conflict going.

“So, not only residents, but also security personnel in Poso must also be evaluated,” he said.

Entering the third day of the hunt, the police have not yet captured even one of the 29 suspected terrorism perpetrators in Poso who have been included on the list of wanted persons.

Access points to Poso Regency have been closely guarded.

If Tajwin Ibrahim of the Poso Muslim Defence Team is going to try to stop the police from capturing Arsal then Ibrahim should be thrown in jail too. Who do these idiots think they are? Like I've said before, let the North Sulawesi Brimob hunt down these animals (yes, that what these terrorists are, animals). Guaranteed Arsal and the fugitives will either be caught or dead and either way the problem will be solved. BTW, Arsal, I'm waiting for another fatwa.

Beheading suspects were preparing for more

2006-11-10T18:27:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – The trial of Hasanuddin, the first of three men charged with the 2005 decapitation of three Christian schoolgirls in Poso, Central Sulawesi, opened.

According to Prosecutor Payaman SH, Hasanuddin gave orders to his men to get “the heads of at least a hundred Kongkoli (a local epithet for Christians) youth, adults and women”. “This is vengeance,” the order read. “Blood will be paid with blood, a life with a life, a head with a head”. If found guilty, all three face the death penalty.

The three victims were attacked with a machete and beheaded in the Gebang Rejo area in Poso. Two heads were left near a police station and the other was dumped in front of a church. The crime shocked public opinion both in Indonesia and abroad.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono condemned the crime; Pope Benedict XVI called it a ‘barbaric murder”.

Hasanuddin, who is thought to have masterminded the triple murder, appeared before the judges in Jakarta’s central courthouse where the trial is being for security reasons.

The murders threatened to reignite violence between Sulawesi's Muslims and Christians, who were involved in sectarian violence between 1999 and 2001. Despite a peace deal in 2002, violence has repeatedly flared up since then.

Hasanuddin, who is charged with premeditated murder along with Lilik Purnomo and Irwanto Irano, did not make any statement at the beginning of the hearing.

Upon entering the courthouse, the three men’s lawyer said all three admitted to their involvement in the murders, which was perpetrated as an act of revenge against Christians for the death of Muslims.

Beheaded Christian high school girls were Ramadan trophies

2006-11-10T18:06:00.000+07:00

THREE Christian high school girls were beheaded as a Ramadan "trophy" by Indonesian militants who conceived the idea after a visit to Philippines jihadists, a court heard yesterday.

The girls' severed heads were dumped in plastic bags in their village in Indonesia's strife-torn Central Sulawesi province, along with a handwritten note threatening more such attacks.

The note read: "Wanted: 100 more Christian heads, teenaged or adult, male or female; blood shall be answered with blood, soul with soul, head with head."

Javanese trader Hasanuddin appeared in Jakarta Central Court yesterday charged with planning and directing the murders in October last year. He faces a death sentence if found guilty under anti-terrorism legislation.

Hasanuddin allegedly returned from a visit to members of Philippines Islamist group the Moro Islamic Liberation Front with tales of how that organisation regularly staged bombings to coincide with Lebaran, the festival that ends the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. He later spoke with a preacher in Poso, Central Sulawesi, about whether such a plan could work in Indonesia, but expressed doubt about whether it was appropriate.

However, after further discussion with friends, he decided that beheading Christians could qualify as an act of Muslim charity.

Conscripting several accomplices at a local pesantren, or Islamic school, he directed one of them, Lilik Purnomo, to seek out "the head of a Christian", prosecutors alleged.

"It would be a great Lebaran trophy if we got a Christian. Go search for the best place for us to find one," Hasanuddin allegedly ordered his companion.

Lilik returned to say he had found an "excellent" target - a group of schoolgirls who travelled to and from class by foot in the Central Sulawesi village of Gebong Rejo. The village is in the district of Poso, where hundreds of people have died in sectarian violence in recent years.

Many observers worry that Central Sulawesi has become the latest battleground in a deadly jihad.

Three Christian men were executed there last month for their role in a massacre of Muslims in 2000 and there have been a series of deadly attacks in the province in recent months.

Prosecutors yesterday detailed how Hasanuddin, Lilik and co-accused Irwanto Irano planned the schoolgirl beheadings with six other men. They prepared six machetes and black plastic bags for carrying off the severed heads and spent several days surveying the area where the students regularly passed by.

The operation was called off on one occasion, when a woman spotted the attackers hiding by the roadside, waiting for their victims. On the night before the attack, Lilik told Hasanuddin: "I hope you are ready to receive your Lebaran gift."

The attack was launched the following morning, but only four of the six targeted girls appeared.

Lilik, directing the attack from a nearby hill, told his accomplices to act quickly so that the remaining two girls could still be killed should they appear behind their friends.

The attackers cleanly beheaded three of the students but a fourth, Noviana Malewa, escaped after a struggle and ran away screaming. Her attackers gave chase but were unable to catch her.

The bodies, dressed in school uniform, were left by the roadside near the execution site, but the heads were carried in a backpack to Hasanuddin.The trial of his two co-accomplices was adjourned until Wednesday, when Hasanuddin will also reappear.

The local pesantren where these accomplices were recruited from is owned and run by Hasanuddin's uncle Adnan Arsal, who has been causing trouble for local police, Brimob and security forces for the last few weeks. Adnan refuses to give up the whereabouts of the 29 fugitives wanted in connection with the recent Poso conflict. Adnan also has connections with Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, Laskar Jihad, Islamic Defenders Front and he is the president of the Poso Islamic Struggle Brotherhood Forum which is a militant/ paramilitary group which has members that have trained in local and Maluku terrorist training camps. My question is, why hasn't Adnan Arsal been arrested for harboring fugitives and hasn't been tied into the terrorism in the conflict yet?

Prosecution seeking 5 year jail term for Aussie embassy bombing accomplice

2006-11-10T17:53:00.000+07:00

AN Indonesian prosecutor today sought a five-year jail sentence for a Muslim man accused of storing explosives used in the 2004 Australian embassy bombing in Jakarta which killed 11 people.

Prosecutor Effendi told the state district court in Surabaya, East Java, that defendant Arif Hermansyah, 27, was guilty of assisting an act of terrorism, the state Antara news agency said.

"The defendant has been proven to have intentionally helped a crime of terrorism by hiding information on a terrorism crime," Effendi said.

He said that the defendant had failed to ask about a package that was left with him for safekeeping at his home in Surabaya in mid-2004 by another man, named Untung.

Untung is still on the run.

The package, which was later retrieved by Sonhadi, alias Muhajir, contained explosives that were later used in the embassy suicide van attack.

Sonhadi has been sentenced to four years in jail.

The judges adjourned the court until November 21 when the trial will hear the defence plea.

The embassy blast had been blamed on a group belonging to the Jemaah Islamyah (JI), which has been accused by the Government of being a regional terrorist network.

The leading planners in the bombings were said to be two Malaysians - Azahari Husin and Noordin Top.

Azahari was killed in a police raid in November while Noordin remains on the run.

Both men were avowed top members of the JI which has been blamed by authorities for a series of bombing attacks including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people and the Jakarta Marriott hotel blast in 2003 which killed 12.

Hermansyah, an employee of a private electricity contractor and also known as Banjar, became a JI branch member in 1997, prosecutors told the court.

Muslim militants could face death penalty for beheadings

2006-11-10T17:46:00.000+07:00

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Central Jakarta District Court has begun the trial of the three persons suspected of murdering three female high school students in Poso, Central Sulawesi.

The defendants—Lilik Purnomo a.k.a. Haris; Irwanto Irano a.k.a. Iwan and Hasanuddin a.k.a. Hasan—have been charged with committing murder and terrorism.

The trial was divided into two parts.

The first part was for defendant Hasanuddin, the second for Lilik Purnomo and Irwanto Irano.

However, the trial on Lilik and Irwanto has not yet begun because the head of the panel of judges Lilik Mulyadi was absent.

Public prosecutor Payaman said Hasanuddin’s act was included as terrorism.

The reason for this, he said, was that after the slaughter of the three students, Hasanuddin and his associates spread fear among residents of Poso Kota, Central Sulawesi.

He went on to say that the way this was done was by the defendants sending some pieces of the bodies to several residents.

“The defendants’ action calls for the death penalty,” said Payaman after reading the charges at the Central Jakarta District Court, yesterday (8/11).

The murder of three female high school students in Poso, Central Sulawesi, took place on October 29, 2005.

The students of Poso Christian School—Alvita Poliwo, Theresia Morangki and Yarni Sambue—died tragically by being beheaded.

The incident was actually planned to kill four students.

Fortunately, one of the students, Noviana Melewa, managed to escape despite of being injured, having been hit by a perpetrator with a sharp instrument.

Prosecutor Payaman said the court can only prosecute three suspects as the remaining five are still listed as fugitives.

Police to try to prevent Poso suspects from escaping Indonesia

2006-11-10T17:38:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Police will continue to prevent Poso riot suspects from fleeing to other countries, National Police Chief Gen Sutanto told newsmen after attending the commemoration of National Heroes Day at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetary here on Friday.

"We are ready to cooperate with various countries in our bid to prevent the suspects from fleeing to other countries," he said.

He made the statement in response to the question on whether Indonesian police would cooperate with their counterparts in the Philippines and Malaysia to prevent the Poso riot suspects from fleeing to those countries.

However, Sutanto expressed hope that the suspects would voluntarily surrender to law enforcers rather than being arrested by the police.

"We will continue to hunt them unless they surrender," Sutanto said, adding that the police did not set a deadline for their arrest.

My suggestion to General Sutanto is to let the Christian Brimob from North Sulawesi hunt the fugitives. That way there will be no escapees allowed by sympathetic Muslim police. Fear of being captured by Christian members of Brimob will be enough to have most fugitives surrender.

Chief of Indonesia Police: Arrest the perpetrators of Poso rioting

2006-11-08T21:15:00.000+07:00

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Chief of Indonesian Police General Sutanto has ordered that perpetrators suspected of being the masterminds of the Poso rioting be captured soon.

Responsibility for the arrests has been fully handed over to investigators at the Central Sulawesi Police Department.

“Arrest the perpetrators as soon as possible accordance with the results of the investigation,” said the Chief after attending a coordinating meeting at the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs' office yesterday (11/7).

Sutanto has asked that the hunting and the capture still be in line with laid-down procedures and the Penal Code.

Previously, the police had already issued warnings against 29 persons who are suspected of being involving
in Poso rioting.

Police have claimed that these 29 persons have been handed over to Poso Muslim leaders and gave them a one-week deadline to hand over the suspected perpetrators.

The deadline expired yesterday (11/7).

Nonetheless, up until the final day, Poso's Muslim leader had not yet handed over the 29 persons who are considered as fugitives by the police.

“We are yet to hear any news coming from Poso's Muslim leaders,” said the spokesperson for the Indonesian Police General Anton Bachrul Alam.

Meanwhile, Poso Muslim cleric Adnan Arsal said that his party has not yet decided whether or not to hand over the fugitives to police.

In addition, Adnan is still in Jakarta and will only return to Poso tomorrow (11/9).

“Give us, Muslims in Poso, a chance to discuss this,” said Adnan.

Arrest Adnan Arsal for aiding and a betting fugitives and any other Muslim militant leaders not co-operating with police. The Muslim community want these men gone, along with the fugitives. It's funny because Adnan thinks he speaks for all Muslims in Poso when he speaks for less than 1%. Local Muslims just want things to get back the way it was before the whole conflict started and want to be left alone by militants like Adnan who keep dragging locals into his personal war against Christians.

Poso group leader Hasanuddin goes on trial for beheadings

2006-11-08T21:07:00.000+07:00

JAKARTA (AP): A man went on trial Wednesday on charges of beheading three Christian girls as they walked to school in the Central Sulawesi's town of Poso.

Prosecutors alleged that Hasanuddin wanted to avenge the deaths of Muslims by Christian mobs during sectarian fighting between 1999 and 2002 and left a handwritten note with the girls' heads vowing more attacks.

"We still need another 100 heads," said the note, according to the indictment read out by prosecutor Payaman. "Blood must be avenged by blood."

The attackers beheaded the three girls in October 2005 as they walked to school along an isolated jungle track leading to the town of Poso in central Sulawesi. Another girl was slashed in the head, but managed to escape.

Trials of two other suspects due to stand trial Wednesday at the Central Jakarta District Court were delayed until next week. The three men are charged under Indonesia's anti-terrorism law and could be sentenced to death if found guilty.

Prosecutors said that Hasanuddin was the ringleader of the attack and was present during it, but did not wield a machete himself. Prosecutors allege that he gave money to the other attackers to buy machetes and plastic bags to put the girls heads in. The heads were dumped close to a church and police station in the seaside town.

Hasanuddin did not speak except to say he intended to deliver a defense against the charges.

Large scale clashes between the two faiths ended in 2002 with a peace agreement, but sporadic attacks have continued.

At least 1,000 people from both faiths died during the fighting. Tensions flared anew last month after the execution of three Roman Catholic militants convicted of leading a 2000 attack on an Islamic school that killed at least 70 people.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, with 90 percent of its 220 million people professing the faith. But Central Sulawesi has a roughly equal number of Muslim and Christians.

Trials of three men accused of beheading Poso school girls begin

2006-11-08T20:55:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The trials begin today of three Muslim men accused of grusomely beheading three young Christian girls in the divided district of Poso and facing possible execution if convicted under anti-terrorism laws.

The trials of the three -- Hasanuddin, Lilik Purnomo and Irwanto Irano -- will open later Wednesday at the Central Jakarta District Court.

Prosecutors have said the trials were bring held in Jakarta, not in Central Sulawesi, because of "security considerations".

The three defendants have been detained in Jakarta for several months already. Hasanuddin would be tried separately, while the two others would sit together on the defendant's bench at the same court.

An official of the Attorney General's office said last week the three would be charged under anti-terrorism laws for engaging in "an act of terrorism by using force that caused the loss of lives" in the October 2005 killings.

The girls were walking home when they were beheaded by machete in Poso's Gebang Rejo area on October 29, 2005. Two of their heads were found near a police post and the third was discovered outside a Christian church.

The incident sparked public indignation in Indonesia and overseas.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono condemned the killings and Pope Benedict XVI
deplored what he described as "barbaric murder".

Poso and its surrounding district has been the scene of sporadic unrest since violence between Muslims and Christians claimed about 1,000 lives in 2000-2001.

Muslims and Christians live in roughly equal numbers in Poso. But Muslims have accused the police, especially its paramilitary unit Brimob, of favouring Christians.

Militants, who rioted against and are hiding the other suspects from the police, "have accused Brimob of favoring Christians". Let's get that clear please!!

BIN Cheif says police should arrest Poso perpetrators

2006-11-06T20:04:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The police should have the courage to arrest the suspected perpetrators of the recent acts of terror in the Central Sulawesi town of Poso if persuasive efforts fail to make them surrender, State Intelligence Agency (BIN) Chief Syamsir Siregar said here on Monday.

"If persuasive efforts to make them surrender are unsuccessful, the police should have the courage to take action," Syamsir told newsmen at the presidential office before attending a plenary cabinet session.

The BIN chief made the statement when asked why a certain religious forum in Poso which was believed to know the whereabouts of the suspects had yet to hand them to the police.

Asked if the government had to set a deadline (for the suspects to give themselves up), Syamsir declined to comment.

Meanwhile, Kompas daily reported on Monday police would act and arrest some 29 fugitive Poso terror perpetrators if the chairman of the Poso Muslim Struggle Forum, Adnan Arsal, failed to hand them to the police by Tuesday.

Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) chairman Hasyim Muzadi said the Poso problem could only be solved if all elements involved in the recent acts of terror or in inciting the unrest, regardless of whether they belonged to the Moslem, Protestant or Catholic communities, should be expelled from the region.

About how this could be accomplished, Hasyim said he was sure the government knew the methods that should be applied in the case.

Adnan Arsal should be thrown in jail for harboring fugitives from justice and I'm sure if the police looked hard enough they would evidence that shows he is involved in the terror caused in Central Sulawesi. The police should not be listening to Arsal or taking his word for any deal. He's trying to make himself look like a good guy when he is actually involved with these terrorists. His nephew is a leader of one of the terror groups.

NU wants Poso secure before key meeting

2006-11-05T17:03:00.000+07:00

Frans Seda and Abu Bakr Ba'asyir in Yogya

(Jakarta Post) Hasyim Muzadi, chairman of the country's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), called on the authorities to expel newcomers believed to be instigating fresh violence in Poso, Central Sulawesi, ahead of a planned reconciliation meeting among the people.

Hasyim presented his proposal during a meeting Saturday with Vice President Jusuf Kalla at the latter's residence in Central Jakarta.

"It turns out that those who instigated violence (in Poso) were people coming from other areas. Those who are proven (to be involved in violence) must be relocated; don't consider their religion," Hasyim said.

Finally, someone is listening to what I've been screaming about since Rev. Irianto's assassination and doing something about it. The Muslim militants from outside must be expelled and measures taken to prevent others from coming.

He explained that Muslim and Christian leaders in Poso were expected to meet early in December to discuss ways to end the prolonged bloody conflict.

"Before that (meeting), the security situation must be strengthened," he was quoted by detik.com news portal as saying.

After some time of peace, a new series of murders and violence hit Poso following the Sept. 22 execution of three Christians charged with masterminding a massacre in a Muslim village in 2000.

The day after the execution, two Muslims were kidnapped and murdered. Then, a Christian minister was shot dead while he was shopping with his wife in Palu on Oct. 16. And on Oct. 22, police shot and killed a Muslim man and a toddler during crossfire in a raid on a suspected terrorist hideout.

Where is the mention of 300 armed militants attacking police and the police killing the man while shooting back in self-protection? The two Muslim men weren't kidnapped but ran a roadblock, endangering those at the roadblock and an angry crowd reacted by killing the two men.

Police have arrested more than a dozen Muslims belonging to militant groups in the region suspected of instigating violence, and are still hunting down a number of others.

Muslims are dissatisfied with the police and have demanded that they be withdrawn from Poso. The government responded by sending in troops to reinforce security.

The Muslims that are dissatisfied are local militants from Poso Islamic Struggled Brotherhood Forum and Islamic Defenders Front. These men do not represent local Muslim population in general. Extra security is needed to contain these militants.

Meanwhile in Yogyakarta, Catholic and Buddhist leaders met with leaders of Islamic hard-line group Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) to discuss efforts to prevent further conflicts among different faiths, including those in Poso.

Attending the meeting were Catholic figure and former finance minister Frans Seda, Catholic intellectual Chris Siner Key Timu and Buddhist leader Hartono Yusuf.

MMI leaders at the meeting included Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, who was jailed for his role in the 2002 Bali bombings, chairman Irfan S Awas, secretary-general Sobbarin Syakur and spokesman Fauzan al Anshari.

The meeting produced a joint communique, with each party committing to maintaining peace and security, upholding truth and justice and pursuing prosperity for the people.

"We also agree that the differences among us will not be exploited and manipulated by provocateurs who pit followers of different religions against one another for their own political gains," Fuazan said.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Frans Seda said that the meeting aimed to reduce conflicts between religious groups, including those in Poso.

"We also discussed the Muslims' aspiration to adopt sharia. Pak Ba'asyir said that Muslims would not force their will against non-Muslims with regards to sharia," Seda said.

Funny, Ba'asyir also said that formalization of Shariah law was needed inside the country's organization to help the struggle of the people of Islam. Saying that Muslims would not force their will against non-Muslims is a lie. Shariah law requires dhimmitude or infidel subservience to Islam. Equal rights are denied and right to worship and practice one's religion becomes severely restricted to the point of outlawing religious material outside of Islam (i.e. no bibles allowed in Saudi Arabia). Luckily, the majority of Muslims are more liberal in thinking and do not want the restrective Shariah law imposed which would outlaw their system of Islamic belief. Most Muslims in Indonesia are seen as heretics by Muslims in the Middle East because of the incorporation of mysticism and spiritualism in Indonesian Islam. Only a small percentage of Muslims in Indonesia follow strict Wahabist and similar forms of Islam.

It is not clear, however, why Seda and other Catholic and Buddhist leaders sought a meeting with Ba'asyir and MMI leaders.

During the meeting MMI leaders also expressed their opposition to the planned visit of U.S. President George W. Bush to Indonesia next month.

Bush is scheduled to visit Indonesia after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Vietnam on Nov. 18. This will be his second trip to Indonesia after he met President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Muslim leaders in Bali in 2003.

In Jakarta, a group of Muslims hard-liners, led by Hizbut Tahrir and the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), staged a protest outside the U.S. Embassy to protest the visit. The rally ended peacefully.

Tibo family to take execution case to International Court

2006-11-04T04:34:00.000+07:00

Kupang, E Nusatenggara (ANTARA News) - Relatives of Fabianus Tibo who had been executed early on Friday, Sept. 22, 2006, for his part in the atrocities in the sectarian conflict in Poso, Central Slawesi a few years ago, would bring the case to the International Court of Justice.

Tibo`s family members decided to sue the Indonesian government for the execution of Tibo and friends, spokesman for Tibo`s family, Yustinus Sani, said here Friday.

The decision was made after Tibo`s family peformed a traditional ritual to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Tibo`s execution in Ende district, East Nusa Tenggara province, on Wednesday (Nov 1) and Thursday (Nov 2), Yustinus said.

For the purpose, Tibo`s family had entrusted PADMA Indonesia with the task of collecting evidence and conducting an autopsy of Tibo`s dead body before filing the lawsuit against the Indonesian government to the International Court of Justice.

PADMA Indonesia is a non-governmental organization providing legal aid to Tibo and the two other dead-row convicts -- Marianus Riwu and Dominggus da Silva.

Tibo`s family decided to take the measure as they considered that the executor had violated the method of execution as stipulated in Law No.2/1964, he said, adding that five gunshot wounds and other injuries on the victim`s body could prove the violation.

On the families of Marinus Riwu and Dominggus da Silva, he said Tibo`s family did not force them to join the action but if they wanted to, they should immediately file the lawsuit to the International Court of Justice.

Yustinus said Tibo`s family has fully entrusted PADMA Indonesia with coordination with the two other families.

The struggle of Tibo`s family was expected to bring about justice to all people who loved justice and truth in the country, he said.

Three members of Poso Mujahidin formally charged with beheadings

2006-11-03T20:07:00.000+07:00

Three men have been charged under Indonesia's terrorism laws for involvement in the gruesome beheadings of three young Christian high school girls in Poso. The three were this week charged with involvement in "an act of terrorism by using force that caused the loss of lives" in the October 29, 2005 killings, an official with the Attorney-General's office said.

Dossiers on the three men, Hasanuddin aka Hasan, Lilik Purnomo aka Haris, and Irwanto Irano, were submitted to the central Jakarta district court on Monday in preparation for a trial and the defendants were then charged, the official said. Achmad Michdan, a lawyer for the three men, confirmed that his clients would soon be brought to trial. The court will have to form a panel of judges before issuing a date for the trial. All three could face the death penalty for their horrific crimes. All three have previously admitted to the beheadings.

Three men belong to the Tanah Runtuh group of the Poso Mujahidin Association headed by Hasanuddin. Hasanuddin's group has ties to the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist Bali bombers and many of the group attended terrorist training camps. Hasanuddin's uncle, Adnan Arsal has been a particularly vocal critic of the elite security force Brimob's presence in Poso and has lead protests asking for their removal. Adnan's pesantren (Islamic boarding school) and his group Poso Islamic Struggle Brotherhood Forum are also linked with paramilitary militants such as the Islamic Defenders Front.

Police names 15 terrorists involved in attacks in Poso

2006-11-01T13:47:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – In a unusual move, Indonesian police released the names of 15 terrorists accused of violence and attacks in Poso and Palu, Central Sulawesi province, national police spokesman Brigadier General Anton Bachrul Alam announced tonight.

Two groups, referred to as Tanah Runtuh and Kompak Kayamanya, are said to have been behind the spate of violence in Poso and Palu between 2001 and 2006, and are considered very dangerous and well armed, capable of using bombs, guns and other weapons

Tanah Runtuh is so named after a village near Poso. Its members include Hasanuddin, Harris, Irwanto Irano, Yusuf Asapa, Rahmat Jindra, Sudirman alias Ako, and Poniran alias Ipong.

Hasanuddin masterminded some of the bloodiest crimes in the area like the murder of three Christian female students in October 2005; the murder/mutilation of Rev Susianti Tinulele, a Protestant clergywoman; the murder of John Pajoya, a member of the Central Sulawesi Synod of Churches; and the bomb attack against Palu’s Emmanuel Church in 2004.

Hasanuddin’s uncle, Adnan Arsal, heads Gebang Rejo, a Muslim village where clashes between police and locals last October 22 left one person dead, setting off a wave of protests.

Hasanuddin himself is currently detained in a maximum security facility in Jakarta.

Kompak Kayamanya gets also its name from a village near Poso and includes people like Farid Ma`ruf, Fadli Barasalim alias Apo, Jusman Saehed, Iswadi Ma`ruf, Rusli Tawil alias Uci, Ifet, Sakur and Yusman Said.

It is blamed for hold-ups that netted this year millions of rupiahs from a local cocoa plantation and local government office.

The unusual move to release the names of terrorists involved in violence in Poso and Palu follows and announcement by national police Chief Sutanto that the capture of terrorists was made possible by the assistance of Poso Muslim religious leaders, including possibly Hasanuddin’s uncle Arsal.

The 15 terrorists are now in police custody but nothing more is known. According to Alam, the police is now after another 29 suspected terrorists.

Eight Brimob personnel scrutinized in Poso case

2006-11-01T13:31:00.000+07:00

TEMPO Interactive, Palu: Eight Mobile Brigade (Brimob) personnel who were sent from Jakarta have been scrutinized by the Directorate of Professionalism and Security at the National Police (Polri) Headquarters regarding the Poso riot.

Two were questioned on Monday (30/10) and the other six, yesterday (31/10). The investigation that took place at the Poso Subregional Police was directly led by the Professional and Security Directorate Head at Polri HQ, Brig. Gen. Abdurrahman.

According to Central Sulawesi Regional Police spokesperson Chief Commissioner Muhammad Kilat, they were investigated as witnesses in the case of the shooting at Syarifuddin, a Poso resident, on Sunday night two weeks ago. They were considered as having knowledge about the shooting between Tanaruntu residents and the police. “It hasn’t been confirmed whether they will be suspects or not. The evidence of the bullet that hit the victim is being examined by the Forensic Laboratory at Polri HQ,” he said yesterday (31/10).

According to Kilat, in addition to the eight Brimob personnel, there are still seven personnel from the Poso Subregional Police to be investigated. From the result of the initial investigation, Kilat said it was the police that were was attacked first. “The pressure made them retaliate firing,” he said. Last Monday, when several residents escorted Syarifuddin’s body, there was another clash.

A three year old boy and a six month old child as well as a resident named Mislan Kader were wounded by police bullets. Mislan said that when the crowd passed Pulau Seram Street, Poso, right in front of the Brimob housing unit, suddenly the police started firing. Hundreds of people in the crowds scattered instantly. Yesterday Mislan complained about the matter to the Human Rights National Commission for Poso.
He was reluctant to report it to the police because he said that he was often terrorized by a police member. Dedi Askari, Head of Human Rights National Commission for Central Sulawesi, demanded that the government and the police follow up on the incident as soon as possible. “Or else, we’ll file a report to the International Human Rights Commission,” he said.

Kilat confirmed that the police fired weapons when the people were escorting Syarifuddin’s body. However, according to him the shooting was because the residents attacked and mocked the police.

15 Muslim suspects in total arrested for terror in Poso and Palu

2006-11-01T12:08:00.000+07:00

Fifteen Muslim men in total have been arrested in connection with the recent and previous terror attacks in the Poso and Palu area of Central Sulawesi. These attacks date back to 2001. Most of these arrests have already taken place but police are making a public announcement now.

Brigadier General Pol Anton Bachrul Alam, of Mapolres Poso, said on Tuesday night that two groups, Tanah Runtuh in Kelurahan Gebang Rejo and Kompak in Kayamanya sector in Poso were responsible for hiding terror suspects. Tanah Runtuh is where Brimob were attacked by a mob of 300 militants with guns, molotov cocktails, rocks and fire-bombs when Brimob tried to conduct searches for weapon caches and terrorists. In Tanah Runtu, seven suspects were arrested. Their names are Poniren alias Ipong, Yusuf Asapa, Hasanuddin, Haris, Irwanto Irawan, Rahmat and Sudirman. Most of the suspects named have been previously captured between December 2005 and June 2006. Yusuf Asapa, Haris and Rahmat in Tolitoli, Ipong and Sudirman in Poso, and Hasanuddin in Palu. In Kompak Kayamanya, suspects Fadly Barsalin, Yusman Saidi, Syakur, Farid, Yusman Sahed, Iswandi Ma`ruf, Rusli Tawil and Ifek were arrested. Police are still looking for 29 more suspects in the Central Sulawesi area.

Bachrul Alam said the suspects captured were involved in many cases like the murder of journalist I Wayan Suryasa of the Poso Post (2001), the bomb used to kill Pastor John Padjoja (2001), the beheading of Kades Pinedapa (2003), the bomb in front of Poso Central Market that killed 4 people (2004), the assassinations of Jaksa Fery Silalahi and Pastor Susianti Tinulele di Palu (2004), the robbery of Pemda Poso for US$44,000 (2004), the bombing of the Tentena Market killing 22 people (2005), the beheading of three high school students in Poso (2005), and the bombings of churches in Palu and Poso.

During the raid in Kayamanya, police recovered weaponry like M-16, revolvers, Uzi, FN and ammunition, and bomb making materials.

It's very obvious now as to why the mob of 300 Muslims attacked police in Tanah Runtu. They were hiding terror suspects and maybe still hiding more. Militant group leaders, Adnan Arsal of the Poso Islamic Struggle Brotherhood Forum and Sugiyanto Kaimudin of the Islamic Defenders Front should have to explain themselves as to why they called for protests and the removal of the police, and tried to block the capture of terror suspects and weapon caches. We're waiting for that explanation.
What's also interesting is Hasanuddin, who is the leader of the Poso Mujahidin group and responsible for the beheadings of the three high school girls, is the nephew of Adnan Arsal.

Government stating the obvious

2006-10-31T08:13:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - National Intelligence Agency (BIN) Chief Syamsir Siregar said here Monday a small group of people not belonging to Islamic nor Christian communities in Poso, Central Sulawesi, had been trying to keep on sowing terror in the region.

Yes, we know that. Local Muslims and Christians want peace and harmony.

The small radical group wanted to continue committing acts designed to create unrest in the region`s community, Siregar said after attending a function to mark the 78th anniversary of Youth Pledge Day at the vice presidential office here. Until now, the group was still in Poso and they had bombs and many other fire arms used in the killing of a Protestant priest by masked men two weeks ago, he said.

Yes we know that too. The photo below shows some of the homemade guns, weapons and bombs that have been confiscated from Polewali. And again, like in my report last month, notice the book at the front of the table. Revolusi Iran. Propaganda from Iran, that lovely anti-Western, anti-Christian, anti-Semetic, infidel killing, terrorist supporting, civilian oppressing government of the Mullahs and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. And who do suppose is reading this material? Christians?

Another church minister, Susianti Tinulele, was shot to death by masked men when she was leading a church service in Poso in July 2004 while two school girls were killed and mutilated by unidentified men in Poso in 2005.

There were three girls beheaded and one escaped with a deep wound to the side of the head. Fact checking is important in good reporting.

Central Sulawesi Governor Paliuju who also attended the Youth Pledge Day function confirmed the existence of small armed groups in Poso, saying this had become evident when policemen on search operations sometimes heard shots they did not fire.The governor, however, could not name the terror groups but said the government would set up an independent fact-finding team to investigate the bloody crimes in Poso. The team, he said, would comprise policemen, the military and local residents. He said the government would not increase the number of security personnel in Poso.

Meanwhile, about a thousand Poso residents staged a demonstration outside the Provincial Legislative Assembly building in Palu, capital of Central Sulawesi, on Monday, urging the government to withdraw all Mobile Brigade police personnel from Poso. The demonstrators who had first gathered at the Baitul Rahman mosque and then marched to the provincial legislature said the presence of Mobile Brigade personnel in Poso had led to conflicts, rather than creating peace. They said Mobile Brigade policemen fired at people arbitrarily in the Gebangrejo area in Poso on the eve of the Idul Fitri on October 22. They asked the government to set up a fact finding team to look into the conflict which had killed a number of people and injured many others.

Why are they protesting? Brimob are looking for weapons and trying to catch the terrorists. Don't they want peace? The police were attacked by a mob of 300 militants with guns, molotov cocktails, rocks and fire bombs and responded to defend themselves. Guns and fire bombs. Hmmm. Weapons the police were searching for. Pretty obvious that members of the mob were probably amongst the ones that police were looking for and that these protestors are militants or supporters of the militants. And who were leading the protests? Adnan Arsal of the Poso Islamic Struggle Brotherhood and Sugiyanto Kaimudin of the Islamic Defenders Front, both militant paramilitary organizations with terrorist links to Jemaah Islamiyah and Al-Qaeda. Gee, do you think they may have a reason for wanting Brimob to stop weapon searches and the search for the killers of two Christian pastors and three Christian high school girls as well as many Christians killed by bombs recently?

Government appeases Islamic militants in Poso

2006-10-30T22:58:00.000+07:00

Palu, Central Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - The government agreed with Muslim figures in terror-riddled Poso town to set up a reconstruction team to look into a clash between mobile brigade personnel and Poso residents last week, a spokesperson said.

The decision to form the team which would also be tasked to investigate bloody crimes in the former sectarian conflict-wrecked town was made in a meeting between Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Muslim figures here Sunday night.

Kalla and Malino declarator for a peaceful Poso of Muslim group, Adnan Arsal, also agreed that the proposed team would be placed under coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs and that its members would comprise local administration officials and public leaders.

"We also suggest that the reconstruction team comprised Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) members," Adnan said.

Why are the fascist, racist, anti-Christian MUI being dragged into this?

Adnan said the government promised to study Poso Muslim organization leaders` ultimatum that the government must withdraw all non-organic mobile brigade personnel from Poso.

"The government promised to withdraw all mobile brigade personnel if security condition in Poso is conducive," said the Poso Muslim People Struggle Brotherhood Forum chairman.

He also said thousands of Poso Muslims would stage a protest in Poso on Monday to urge the government to withdraw the mobile brigade personnel from Poso.

Adnan said the closed-door meeting between Kalla and 30 Poso Muslim leaders, most of them were Malino declarators, gave positive contribution to efforts to create a peaceful Poso although other public leaders of different faith notably Christian group were not invited to the gathering.

"It doesn`t matter that the meeting between vice president and the Poso Muslim leaders was separated from a meeting with Kalla and Poso Christian leaders," Adnan said.

Meanwhile, other Poso Muslim leader who attended the meeting Sofyan Farid Lembah said Adnan pledged to hand over wanted Muslim people suspected of being involved in deadly crimes.

Malino declarator team was set up by the government to end sectarian conflict that beset Poso town years ago.

The closed door-meeting took place for more than two hours beginning at 9.15 p.m. at a Central Sulawesi development planning office hall.

Kalla held a similar meeting with Poso Christian leaders following the meeting with Poso Mulim leaders at a adjacent gubernatorial hall.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo AS, National Police chief Gen Sutanto, National Intelligence Body (BIN) chairman Syamsier Siregar, Social Affairs Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah, Justice and Human Rights Affairs Minister Hamid Awaluddin and Home Affairs Minister M. Maruf were present at the two meetings.

In the meantime, Reverend Lies Sigilipu of the Poso Christian camp asked the government to help revive economic sector in Poso.

Many Poso residents still live in poverty as there was no all-out effort to bring economic life back on track following years of sectarian conflict, he said.

"Economic recovery should be felt by grass-root level. They have witnessed that officials can buy super Kijang vans while they can only afford SuperMie instant noodles," he said. Meanwhile, Central Sulawesi Christian Church Synod Council acting chairman Rev. Ishak Pole asked national police chief to give the people information on an investigation into a series of deadly crimes in Central Sulawesi notably killing of two reverends in Poso and Palu.

Masked men shot reverend Susianti Tinulele to death when she was delivering a sermon in Poso in July 2004 and Rev. Irianto was killed when he was buying building material in Palu two weeks ago.

Two Christian school girls were multilated by unidentified men in Poso last year.

And three high school girls were beheaded a year ago.

The meeting between Kalla and 20 Poso Christian figures was held for about one hour starting 00.15 Monday.

Kalla wanted to gather the Poso Muslim and Christian figures and convey result of agreements for signature before he return to Jakarta on Monday.

Why weren't both Muslims and Christians consulted at the same time? What are the Muslims hiding? VP Kalla was supposed to come in and help find those Muslims responsible for the recent acts of terrorism. He is also supposed to make a task force to bring to light those who were responsible for the conflict in the first place. This smells of a conspiracy by the government with miltant Adnan Arsal. His group is responsible, along with the Islamic Defenders Front, for the recent terrorism in Poso. The Islamic Struggle Brotherhood Forum has ties to the suspects of the beheadings of the three high school girls and bombings throughout Central Sulawesi and a teacher from Adnan's school is a main suspect in the beheadings. Why is the government even dealing with this militant? I can see where this is going. Brimob will be pulled out, attacks on Christians will increase, Christians will have to defend themselves and the conflict will start up again. We'll be right back to square one again and the cycle of violence will continue. If the conflict starts up again you can bet it's because the government wants it to start up again.

Hundreds of protestors demand Brimob pullout from Poso

2006-10-30T16:34:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Hundreds of Indonesian Muslims protested Monday in the religiously-divided town of Poso, demanding the pullout of police paramilitary units sent as reinforcements to maintain order, a report said. Poso has been hit by a resurgence of unrest since three Christians were executed a month ago in Central Sulawesi province for inciting violence against Muslims in 2000.

About 700 protestors from various Islamic organisations also demanded that lawmakers set up a fact-finding team to look into the possible involvement of Indonesia's feared paramilitary unit, Brimob, in the latest violence, AFP reported. Shops and businesses were closed as a precaution during the protest. ElShinta radio reported from the town that several protestors were allowed to meet with Poso's local council members.

These Islamic organizations ( read: Islamic militants) are trying to divert attention away from the actual terrorists and putting the blame on Brimob.

The protestors were heard reading out their version of events alleging Brimob involvement, with one claiming police had initiated an upsurge in violence since October 22 by shooting into a crowd.

The only ones causing the violence are the Muslims involved in the Islamic militant groups.

National police spokesman Anton Bahrul Alam was quoted by the Koran Tempo as saying Sunday that police had evidence that the mob was responsible for kickstarting the unrest on the day by shooting at a police armoured vehicle.At least one civilian was killed and two injured in the melee which police say began after Muslim residents attacked police who were about to conduct a search for weapons and ammunition.

The police are exactly correct! The protesters do not represent the Muslim community and represent militant groups Islamic Defenders Front and Islamic Struggle Brotherhood of Poso. They are cause of the recent terrorism and conflict with police. As I have called for before, if these two groups are removed from the situation then peace will return to Central Sulawesi. Local Muslims want the militants out.

A week earlier a Christian minister was shot dead in broad daylight in the Central Sulawesi capital of Palu. Muslims in Poso have accused Brimob of favouring the Christian camp.

Poso and its surrounding district became a focal point of communal violence between Muslims and Christians which claimed about 1,000 lives in 2000-2001 and unrest has continued intermittently since then.

Vice President Yusuf Kalla, who was behind a government-sponsored peace pact that ended the bulk of the violence, met with Muslim and Christian leaders in Palu on Sunday in a bid to ease tensions.

And Kalla also understands who the cause of the problem is. If Brimob is removed then the Islamic militants are free to terrorize Christians and try to drive all Christians out of Central Sulawesi. If Brimob stays, then the militants will protest, cause civil disharmony and attack the police. The only solution is to get rid of the militants.

Remembering the schoolgirls

2006-10-29T08:15:00.000+07:00

It was a year ago today, October 29 2005, that four Christian high school girls were attacked by barbaric Islamic militants while on their way to their private school in Poso, Central Sulawesi. Theresia Morangke 15 (above left), Alfita Poliwo 17 (above right), and Ida Yarni Sambue 15, were beheaded by machete wielding Muslims while Noviana Melawa, now 16 (below) was able to escape with a deep slash wound to the side of her head. (see article here) Noviana remains under police protection as she is a witness to the brutal crime.

Less than two weeks later on November 8 2005, two more female students, Yuli Siti Nairani and Ivone, both 17 were shot at point blank range. Both survived gunshot wounds to the jaw/neck area.

A group of Jemaah Islamiyah linked Islamic militants led by Hasanuddin of the Poso Mujahidin is under detention at Polri headquarters, suspected of carrying out the beheadings, several bombings including the bombing at Tentena Market and other acts of terrorism. Police have reported that seven members admitted to taking part in the beheadings. Members of Hasanuddin's group are also thought to have carried out the assassination of Pastor Susianti Tinulele and the recent killing of Pastor Irianto in Palu. This group trained in a terrorist training camp in Maluku and several members claim ties with one of the Bali Bombings masterminds, Noordin M Top. This group is also linked to militants, Islamic Defenders Front and Islamic Struggle Brotherhood Forum in Poso, who local Christians suspect are currently carrying out recent terror attacks in Poso and wanting to re-open the conflict. Beheading suspect Sahal Alamry was an Islamic guru at Adnan Arsal's Alamanah boarding school. Adnan Arsal, also president of the Islamic Struggle Brotherhood and Sugiyanto Kaimudin of the Islamic Defenders Front have called for the removal of extra police and military from the Poso area, claiming these security forces are biased against Muslims and have threatened action against the government and local daily life of those in Poso. A mob of 300 members of both Islamic militant groups went on a rampage and attacked police with guns, firebombs, rocks and homemade weapons several nights ago resulting in one militant being killed by police firing at the mob in self-protection.

It has been one year now and the Christian community of Central Sulawesi and families of the victims are still waiting for the police to solve the case and for justice to be served. The lack of action in naming killers and bringing them to trial has Christians suspecting that there is more to these cases behind the scenes and military or police were also involved, resulting in a delay of the judicial process and justice to be carried out. Until justice is served, we pray for the families and friends of the school girls, for the healing of those who survived the attacks and that the militants who caused to this be tried and receive full sentences for their crimes. Theresia, Yarni and Alfita, may God rest your souls and we have not forgotten you. God Bless You!!

Vice president: Grant more power to Poso police

2006-10-27T19:31:00.000+07:00

Jusuf Kalla said new anti-terrorism laws were needed to restore peace to the area. The response of civil society: first the government should discover those truly responsible for sectarian clashes that took place between 1999 and 2001.
Makassar (AsiaNews) – Violence in Poso in the Indonesian province of Central Sulawesi will not stop unless new anti-terror legislation is drawn up and applied in the region, said Indonesia’s Vice President, Jusuf Kalla. He is also the man behind the Malino Peace Accord that was meant to put an end to bloody conflict between Muslims and Christians in Poso in 2001. However, residents feel a more urgent step would be in-depth, transparent investigations to discover those truly responsible for igniting that violence, as no names have come out as yet.
Speaking in Makassar, South Sulawesi, after celebrations marking the end of Ramadan, Kalla described the security forces as “impotent” to tackle terrorist acts in the area, the most recent being the killing of a Protestant pastor on 16 October. The vice-president said he believed it was necessary to apply anti-terrorism laws similar to the Malaysian International Security Act (ISA). He said: “In this way, the police will be able to capture terrorist suspects more easily on the basis of far less legal evidence and thus guarantee peace and order.” He added: “What has happened recently in Poso is terrorism and adequate measures are needed to face it.”
Kalla’s statements came after the police chief, General Sutanto, said his men were having problems to manage Poso because of the inadequacy of laws at their disposal.
After violent clashes last week between police and residents of the Muslim village of Gebang Rejo, many called for the withdrawal of security forces from Poso but Kalla persisted in stressing the need for their presence.
But exponents of civil society in Poso believe that what is really needed to bring peace back to the province is to discover those truly responsible for inter-faith clashes between 1999 and 2001, but it appears as if the authorities have no intention of doing so. Among those calling for the truth are Adnan Arsal, chairman of the Poso Muslim Brotherhood Forum, the governor of central Sulawesi and the Christian community.

Adnan Arsal of the Poso Islamic Struggle Brotherhood Forum and Sugiyanto Kaimudin of the Islamic Defenders Front are leading the terrorism in Poso at the moment. I don't see how Adnan would want the truth to come out. He is linked with the slaughter of Christians in Central Sulawesi and associated with Jemaah Islamiyah, Laskar Jihad and Islamic Defenders Front. Many of his former students at his boarding school (pesantren) are militants/terrorists. He calls for the removal of security forces and biased police. Why? What is he hiding? The fact that they are trying to build a militia to put all political power in the hands of Muslims and eradicate all Christians out of Central Sulawesi? The police are not biased. It's only Muslims causing the terror. Why should Christians be investigated if they are the victims and remaining calm, waiting for the police to catch the perpetrators? The police should be able to do their jobs now that there isn't a militant backer as the vice-president anymore. Laskar Jihad supporter ex-VP Hamzah Haz is gone now.

These men and their groups need to be eradicated out of Central Sulawesi. The names of those who are responsible for the conflict are available but the government doesn't want to prosecute them. People like Arief Patanga and his brother Agfar, Aliansa Tompo and others come to mind. This resulted in three Christians being executed instead as scapegoats for those responsible. The government wants this problem to just go away because they are covering up their involvement. The local people know this and don't want to let the government get away with this. Military and politicians should be standing trial for their parts in the conflict. Until the militants are gone and the people of Central Sulawesi can see some justice and get some closure, the conflict is going to continue.

Government to use anti-terrorism laws to deal with Poso incidents

2006-10-27T01:43:00.000+07:00

Makassar, S Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Vice President Jusuf Kalla said here on Thursday that recent incidents in Poso were not conflicts but terror actions and therefore police were expected to use anti-terrorism law to deal with them.
He called on the police to thoroughly investigate the case. "I hope the police would investigate thoroughly all terror cases in Poso," he said.
He said there were no conflicts in Poso. He said what had happened there were in fact terror actions. In view of that he urged the police and the military (TNI) to thoroughly investigate them and find the roots of all the incidents.
He reiterated that there will be no security forces pullout from the region.
He said the shootings by the police that led to the death of a civilan and injury of several others were in line with standard procedures.
However he said that the case would also be investigated and there would be punishment for those from both the community or the police/TNI if found guilty.
The chief of the 7th/Wirabuana Military Command, Major General Arief Budi Sampurno, earlier said that Vice President Jusuf Kalla would visit Palu in the near future but no date had been set yet.
"He would visit Palu not Poso to meet with community, religious, government and security leaders in Central Sulawesi" he said.
He said the present situation in Poso had in general been under control and quite secure.

No Brimob withdrawals from Poso

2006-10-26T07:25:00.000+07:00

Makassar (ANTARA News) - The chief of the 7th/Wirabuana Military Command, Major General Arief Budi Sampurno, said on Wednesday there would be no withdrawals of Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) personnel from the Poso region in Central Sulawesi. In a statement to ANTARA News after a closed-door meeting between security officials and regional community and religious figures in Poso, he said their number would even be increased because people there still wanted the military (TNI) and the police to maintain security in the region. "They asked that cooperation between the TNI and the police as well as the community be improved further in the future," he said. The meeting was attended by the chief of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), Syamsir Siregar, as well as several high-ranking officials from the TNI and Police Headquarters and the office of the coordinating minister for political , legal and security affairs. The meeting was held following increased tension in the region which was the former scene of communal conflicts. Unknown gunmen killed a Christian priest in the region recently.
Sampurno said during the meeting Syamsir Siregar did not talk much as he focused on listening to information from the community leaders. Syamsir immediately left for Jakarta after the meeting. Sampurno said the situation in Poso was in general peaceful. "There are no obvious signs of unrest," he said, adding that if there were any, they were shown by a small group of people who were not satisfied with the security maintenance efforts made by the authorities. "They are not satisfied because local security has been tightened," he said. He said the TNI would even send an army engineers` unit to Poso to rebuild people`s houses burned during the conflict of several years ago. He said the project would target 1,000 houses and be started in November.

The only ones who are not happy with security being tightened are the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and its supporters. Sugiyanto Kaimudin made it quite clear that FPI demanded national troops withdraw from the area, threatening to disrupt the activities of the local government, markets and people's lives if they refused. "We will paralyze activities in Poso" said Sugiyanto. Security hampers their mission of terrorism and continuing the conflict in the area.

Journalists biased by cash in Indonesia?

2006-10-25T12:56:00.000+07:00

Oct 21, 2006 Denpasar --- News conferences in Indonesia tend to be catered affairs, journalists usually receive a takeaway box of food and underneath is often a brown envelope.
Inside will be a wad of banknotes, in appreciation of their attendance and expectation of a positive story.
They call it "envelope journalism," a custom not only practised by flash lawyers and dodgy developers; major corporations, government agencies and even charities regularly distribute cash to the local media.
On a couple of occasions gifts have been given to foreign journalists, but they have handed them back.
This week, two Government ministries conceded to The Age that they continued to hand out envelopes of cash to journalists who attended press events, despite President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's campaign to eradicate corruption across his nation.
The pay-offs are longstanding, but have grown more sophisticated in recent years, according to insiders. Press conference envelopes normally contain between $10 and $100, but many journalists have established bank accounts where corporations can directly wire much larger amounts.
Tomorrow marks Idul Fitri, the end of the major Muslim celebration of Ramadan, a traditional time of gift giving, when journalists expect and even demand contributions from the individuals and authorities they cover.
Editor-in-chief of the Jakarta Post Endy Bayuni concedes the practice presents a major ethical dilemma. "They don't say it, but there's an understanding they expect you to write positively.
"Normally people turn a blind eye to a small payment, but sometimes it's much more and can be an attempt to bribe a journalist.
"Around Muslim holidays it gets even crazier, because some government authorities and companies feel they have to give gifts to journalists."
This week many local journalists were demanding an annual hand-out to celebrate the end of Ramadan, but some take the process a step further, said Mr Bayuni.
"They ask for money, threatening businesses with negative publicity. It's like extortion, it happens quite a lot."
Indonesian journalists' salaries are meagre, often exceeded by envelope income.
"Some organisations don't pay any salary," said Mr Bayuni. "They just give the journalists a press card and let them raise money from news sources."
The issue received some coverage in local media this week, but only because one provincial administration in the town of Semarang complained it was receiving too many requests from individuals posing as journalists.
Nearly 500 people had visited government offices demanding cash to celebrate the end of Ramadan.
Agus Utomo, head of the mass media section at the provincial public relations and information agency, said they were required to produce identity cards. "How much money they were given, I don't know," he said.
A second official said the journalists received about $10 each.
A senior national Government official confirmed he regularly made payments to journalists at press conferences. If they requested an Idul Fitri bonus they would also receive it, he said.
One journalist who covers the military happily admitted to receiving payments from officials, up to and including the head of the Defence Ministry. "Of course I have," he said. "I cover security affairs, so I often cover army issues.
"Usually the army provides envelopes. These people will think we're arrogant if we refused taking it. I always take the money and share it with the soldiers. That's the way."
Mr Bayuni said several mainstream media organisations, including the Jakarta Post, had adopted strict rules against journalists taking envelopes. He has had to sack one reporter for demanding money from news sources.
"If the messengers themselves are corrupt, how do you trust the message?" he asked. "We need to address this problem seriously so we can
be part of the campaign against corruption. But at the moment we are part of the problem."
With Idul Fitri looming, Dr Yudhoyono's administration banned giving gifts to senior officials and judges, but retreated after complaints from officials and retailers, saying the value of the gifts should be limited.
State Minister for Administrative Reform Taufik Effendi this week pronounced that small gifts such as batik shirts were OK, but "it is prohibited to give car keys for instance".
Previously judges and others have received keys as an Idul Fitri gift, keys that just happened to fit the new Jaguar parked outside.

So can we take any stories by journalists in Indonesia as unbiased truth or should we suspect all to be tainted by money? Should the accuracy of every story reporting on the Indonesian military or government be regarded with suspect? Or is a negative report a sign of no payment? I guess the reporter from AP in the previous posting got a cash envelope for painting terrorist group Islamic Defenders Front in a harmless positive light by calling them a Muslim association.

Islamic leaders threaten to cause chaos in Poso

2006-10-25T10:10:00.000+07:00

POSO, Indonesia (AP) - A church was set on fire Tuesday in a central Indonesian region plagued by sectarian violence since last month's executions of three Roman Catholic militants, police said. No one was injured in the blaze.
The arson attack in the town of Poso on Sulawesi island apparently followed rumors that an Islamic school had been torched, said police spokesman Lt. Col. Muhammad Kilat, urging residents to be on alert for "a campaign to fuel unrest. "An investigation was being carried out, he said, adding that "arsonists were behind the Eklesia church blaze." Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, with 90 percent ( just over 80%) of its 220 million people practicing the faith, but large section of Sulawesi have roughly equal number of Christians and Muslims. Poso was the center of hostilities between the two religions in 1998-2002, when more than 1,000 (2,000) people died. Violence flared anew following the Sept. 22 executions of three Christian men convicted of leading a militia that carried out a 2000 attack on an Islamic school, killing at least 70 people seeking shelter. Critics say the Christians did not get a fair trial and questioned the role religion played in their sentencing, noting that few Muslims were punished for four years of bloodshed, and none to more than 15 years in jail. Mobs in Sulawesi have killed two Muslim traders and a Christian priest in recent weeks, and there have been at least seven bomb blasts, most targeting empty buildings. Security forces opened fire on a gang of rock-wielding Muslim youths in Poso over the weekend, killing one after they went on a rampage, torching police vehicles and homes. Islamic leaders protested the slaying Tuesday, and demanded that national troops withdraw from the area, threatening to disrupt the activities of the local government, markets and people's lives if they refused. "We will paralyze activities in Poso," said Sugiyanto Kaimudin, a representative of a Muslim association, though he provided no details. National police chief General Sutanto told reporters in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, that his men had acted in self-defense and said they were needed in Sulawesi to maintain order.

Sugiyanto Kaimudin, a representative of a Muslim association? Gee, what association might that be? Not the same Sugiyanto Kaimudin of the militant, paramilitary, terrorist and jihad supporting Islamic Defenders Front (FPI)? You know, the terrorist thugs who routinely attack foreign embassies in Jakarta when protesting, tried sweeping Americans out of Indonesia in 2001, close churches, support Abu Bakr Ba'asyir, attack Western interests during Ramadan, have ties with Jemaah Islamiyah, Laskar Jihad and possibly al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, and keep pressing for Indonesia to become an Islamic state. The same terrorist thugs who joined in with Laskar Jihad on the the slaughter of Christians in Maluku and Sulawesi. Nice try on the whitewashing Associated (with terrorists) Press!!

So Islamic leaders ( and by that it should be stated, FPI only) are basically taking the side of arsonists who burned Eklesia church after false rumors were spread about the burning of an Islamic boarding school, a mob who attacked police with homemade guns, rocks, molotov cocktails and homemade bombs after they burned police vehicles and torched Christian houses, and don't want police to search for weapons, bombs, militants and the killer of Rev. Irianto which is what the police were doing when the mob attacked them. I see. And you're angry at security forces and feel you are being persecuted? Uh huh. So what you're saying is the police shouldn't have defended themselves from 300 gun-toting, weapon weilding and fire bomb throwing Muslims? Hmmm. Let's do a little check on the story so far, Islamic leaders, shall we?

Who is attacking the police, bombing Christian interests, and burning homes and churches? Christians?

And who wants to disrupt local governments, markets and people's lives? Christians?
And it would appear that who is fuelling the conflict with terrorism? Christians?

I think it's pretty obvious from the evidence, who wants unrest in Poso, who wants the conflict to continue, and who is responsible for the terror continuing in Central Sulawesi. The government has a tough job ahead getting rid of these criminal militant terrorist Islamic elements like Islamic Defenders Front out of the area. Until these elements are removed, there will be no peace for local Christians and Muslims and the terrorism perpetrated by these Muslims will continue. We'll see if the government is serious about tackling the conflict or whether they're part of the problem. I won't hold my breath and wait for a quick solution. Just remember who is really persecuted in Indonesia.

Bali three ready for execution

2006-10-24T20:24:00.000+07:00

Three Bali bombing masterminds, Amrozi, Imam Samudera and Ali Gufron are ready for the executions to proceed. "We are ready for the executions whenever" said Ali Gufron after finishing Idul Fitri prayers at Batu Nusakambangan Prison in Central Jawa today. The three were allowed to perform prayers outside of their solitary confinement cells in the Super Maximum Security section of the prison and immediately returned after prayers said head warden Sudijanto. There are seven rooms in the Super Maximum Security section and the Bali three are the only inmates occupying the section. There is an empty cell between each of three's cells to prevent communication.

When the executions are to take place has still not been announced but many people around the world are waiting for justice to be served and are anticipating the executions with great interest.

Muslim group that attacked police also burned church

2006-10-24T19:58:00.000+07:00

JAKARTA, Oct 24 (Reuters) - An armed group set fire to a Christian church in Indonesia's Poso region on Tuesday, a day after it clashed with a patrol party in the troubled region, a police officer said. Poso in Central Sulawesi has been tense since the executions last month of three Christian militants over their role in the Muslim-Christian violence that gripped the region from 1998-2001. "A church was burned at around 0015," Poso police chief Rudy Sufariady told Reuters, adding that there were no casualties from the incident. On Monday, a police patrol fought with a group armed with automatic weapons, home-made pipe bombs and stones. One person died in the clash and three were wounded, including a police officer. When asked if the perpetrators of the attack on the church were from the group that clashed with police on Monday, Sufriady said: "That's for certain, it's the same group". Central Sulawesi police spokesman Muhammad Kila said police had not made any arrests and were still investigating the incident, which was close to the site of Monday's clash. "The roof of the back section of the church was damaged. The motives remain unknown until now. "Muslims in Indonesia are holding Eid al-Fitr festivities this week to mark the end of the fasting season of Ramadan.

National Police Chief Sutanto claimed on TV that the violence now was not a community conflict between local Muslims and Christians, but actual acts of terrorism. He stopped short of saying that this is a 'Muslim" group causing the terrorist acts but all evidence points to that. We'll see what tonight brings. It is doubtful that Brimob (elite security Police) will be planning any raids tonight with it being Idul Fitri today in Indonesia. Tomorrow may be a different story. If a holdback on arresting this group of terrorists is evident, you can be rest assured that the terrorists are involved with and supported by the military or government and Brimob was told to back off and leave them alone.

Faith powerful weapon against enemies says cleric

2006-10-24T19:18:00.000+07:00

Bogor (ANTARA News) - In his Idul Fitri sermon at the Bogor Botanical Gardens here on Tuesday Muslim cleric Ahmad Degel said that faith was a powerful weapon against the enemies of Islam. "Besides sophisticated weapons, faith is the most powerful armour against the enemies of Islam because God has promised to help those who have faith," Ahmad Degel said before thousands of Muslims gathered at the gardens. Without elaborating who Islam`s enemies were, Ahmad Degel pointed out that faith could defeat enemies carrying man-made sophisticated weapons. "With gravel, the Palestinian people were able to defend their country from the grip of zionist Israel," the cleric said, adding that because of faith and strong belief in God Almighty, the Palestinian people were able to continue resisting their enemies. He said Western countries at present were exercising all the power they had to defeat Muslims. "Therefore, Muslims unity is absolutely necessary. Let us struggle together to strengthen our unity and faith," he said. Ahmad ended his sermon by praying for the nation`s leaders so that they could fullfil their tasks and responsibilities under divine guidance to lead the country toward a better tomorrow.

With all due respect, Western countries are not exercising 'all' the power they have to defeat Muslims. They are showing restraint, to only get the terrorists. If it were the other way around, would the Muslims show such restraint? If 'all' power was used against 'all' Muslims, then the Arab world, Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, most of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Central Asian states would all be decimated from nuclear bombs. Then Imam Ahmad, you could say that the West used all of its power to defeat Muslims.

Muslims to create peaceful zone in Papua?

2006-10-24T19:04:00.000+07:00

Jayapura (ANTARA News) - Muslims in Indonesia`s easternmost province of Papua are committed to turning the province into a peaceful zone, local Muslim figures said here on Tuesday. After performing Idul Fitri prayer at Jayapura Grand Mosque here, Hi Ridwan and Hi Udin said the Muslims in Papua, especially in capital Jayapura, were committed to maintaining religious harmony in the province. They made the statement in a bid to uphold a declaration made by the leaders of five major religions in Papua to make the province a peaceful zone in the country. Both Hi Ridwan and Hi Udin also called on the Muslims and the people in other parts across the country not to be easily provoked by irresponsible parties or groups who intentionally create disorder in the community. "If ever a party or a group of people who dare to create chaos in Papua, the Muslims here will arrest them and bring them to court to undergo existing legal process in the country," Ridwan and Udin noted. The prayer that started at 7 a.m. local time was led by Adrus Al-Hamid, chief of provincial religious affairs ministry office. Meanwhile in his sermon, Moh Habib, the dean of Jayapura Al-Fatah State Islamic College, called on the Muslims in the city to coexist in perfect harmony with people of other faiths.

So, let me get this straight. "If ever a party or a group of people who dare to create chaos in Papua, the Muslims here will arrest them and bring them to court to undergo existing legal process in the country," Ridwan and Udin noted. Well then, start arresting Laskar Jihad and TNI (military). No? I didn't think so. Lip service by Muslims again. Maybe your intentions are good but the reality is until Papua is given freedom from the opression of the Indonesian government, there will be no peace. I pray that the situation doesn't turn into another Timor Leste (East Timor).

Church burned and President asks to find root cause of violence in Poso

2006-10-24T18:39:00.000+07:00

Gee Mr President, that should be a no-brainer. Starts with an 'M' and are followers of the largest religion in Indonesia. Now that you know the root cause, do something to stop the violence!

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has asked the Home Affairs Ministry to gather as much information as possible in an effort to seek the root cause of the high incidence of violence in the Central Sulawesi town of Poso. Home Affairs Minister M Ma`ruf spoke about the President`s request while attending an "open-house" function at Vice President Jusuf Kalla`s official residence in Jakarta on Tuesday. "The president wants us to solve the Poso problem peacefully. Of course, we have to reevaluate the real cause of the recent incidents," the minister said.

That's a polite way of sidestepping the use of the 'M' word. Let me say it for you..... Muslims. Or Militants. Ask Brimob who attacked them the other night with stones and Molotov cocktails.

According to Ma`ruf, his ministry would cooperate with other related institutions, including the police, to find the root cause of the conflict in Poso. In addition, he said the Home Affairs Ministry would also hold dialogs with the local community and religous figures. "The dialogs will be conducted to inventorize the real causes of the problem," he said. In Poso early Tuesday morning, the Eklesia church on Jalan Pulau Seram was gutted by fire. According to information from Poso, the fire which started somewhere inside the church at 00.20 am was brought under control in less than two hours. There was no report of casualties in the incident.

Protestant Eklesia church has been attacked previously on countless occasions by Muslims during the conflict and is always in a constant state of being repaired from fire or bomb attacks. It seems like it is a major target for Muslims to attack. A bomb previously went off outside the church just three weeks ago.

Indonesian government rewards terrorists

2006-10-24T16:20:00.000+07:00

The Indonesian government continues to reward terrorists by cutting their prison sentences twice a year on major holidays. In the real world, this defies logic but in Indonesia this makes complete sense. Remissions have allowed convicted terrorists such as Abu Bakr Ba'asyir, to go free early and continue to spew their hate message against non-Muslims and the West.

From a recent article:

Bali blast survivor Peter Hughes said the latest round of sentence cuts would be a slap in the face to families of the 202 victims, including 88 Australians, who died when Islamic militants detonated two bombs on the Indonesian resort island of Bali in 2002.
The 46-year-old said he did not understand why anyone would want to "reward terrorists".
"I think the Indonesian Government, by doing this, they don't understand that it becomes a slap in the face for us, and it's actually a reward for their (terrorists') cause, which is pathetic," Mr Hughes said.
The Indonesian Government is reportedly considering changes to laws governing sentence remissions which would force terrorists and drug offenders, among others, to serve at least two-thirds of their sentences.

See the full story here at Victims condemn Bali bombing releases

Two militants from the 2002 Bali bombings are free

2006-10-23T19:57:00.000+07:00

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Two Islamic militants jailed for the Bali bombings that killed 202 people will be freed Tuesday and 10 others will have their sentences reduced to mark the end of the Islamic fasting month, officials said. Indonesia traditionally marks national holidays by cutting prison terms for inmates who exhibit good behavior, usually by several months. But the decision is likely to anger countries that lost citizens in the 2002 attacks on two crowded nightclubs.
Eighty-eight of those killed were Australians. Sirojul Munir, sentenced to five years for hiding one of the masterminds of the suicide bombings, will leave the jail in East Kalimantan's capital of Balikpapan on Tuesday, said Edi, a prison official who uses a single name. The other militant, whose identity was not released, will be released from the main prison on Bali island, said Anak Agung Mayun Mataram, the justice ministry's head of Bali's prison division. A total of 33 people were jailed over the 2002 Bali blasts, the most deadly in a string of attacks in Indonesia blamed on the al-Qaida-linked militant group Jemaah Islamiyah. Three -- Amrozi, Ali Gufron and Imam Samudra -- are scheduled to be executed and three others are serving life sentences. Under Indonesian law, they are not eligible for prison sentence reductions.

What's amazing is the local news media has completely ignored this except for Detiknews.com (in Indonesian). The second militant is Mudjarot, who will be released tomorrow from Kerobokan Prison in Denpasar. He had one month and fifteen days knocked off his total sentence in remissions for good behavior.

Mudjarot was also involved with Dulmatin (currently hiding and training with Muslim militants from Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines), Hamza, Firmansyah, Mubarok, Ali Imron and Amrozi in the 2000 Christmas Eve bombing in Mojokerto.

Another member of the Bali terrorists released early after receiving a ridiculously light sentence by the Muslim Indonesian government. Ali Imron received a life sentence for his role in Bali Bom 1 whilst his brothers Amrozi and Imam Samudera are to be executed for their parts.

Police clash with Muslim mob in Poso

2006-10-23T18:28:00.000+07:00

Police clashed with a Muslim mob in Indonesia's central Sulawesi province, killing one man and injuring two, witnesses and police said Monday. One of the injured named Tugiharjo, aged 35, had a gunshot wound to the left elbow and the other injured, Jalih Pamungkas, had a chest wound.
An unidentified member of the mob died of gunshot wounds on the way to the hospital, police chief Lt. Col. Rudy Sufahriadi said.
The violence began late Sunday in central Poso. During two hours of unrest late Sunday night into early Monday morning, police fired into the crowd after being attacked by a stone-throwing mob, Sufahriadi said. Police opened fire when a mob threw stones and Molotov cocktails at a new police checkpoint in a Muslim-dominated area. Police spokesman M. Kilat said "The people were not happy with patrols and searches conducted by police in their area following a small explosion Sunday", he was quoted as saying. There were no casualties in the blast. Police were conducting house to house searches for weapons, bombs and militants when the mob formed and attacked the police.
"We are still investigating the shooting and the situation in Poso is now under control," he said, describing the police reaction as self-defense. It was unclear whether any members of the crowd returned fire.

Security tight in East Nusa Tenggara

2006-10-23T16:32:00.000+07:00

The East Nusa Tenggara Police will deploy 10,000 officers, to be assisted by the military, law and order policemen and church youths, to safeguard Idul Fitri celebrations on Tuesday and Wednesday in Kupang and other East Nusa Tenggara cities.
East Nusa Tenggara Police chief Comr. Marthen Radja said Saturday that the security operation, codenamed "Ketupat Komodo", would be focused on the mosques and open fields where Muslims would be saying their Idul Fitri prayers.
"We will deploy 10,000 personnel. Principally they will be stationed at all mosques and city centers. The security condition in the province has thus far been under control," Marthen said.
Besides the security at mosques, the police will also secure other places prone to disturbances, he said.
"We want the Muslims to celebrate Idul Fitri securely and peacefully," he said.
All major roads, bus terminals, seaports and the airport will be tightly guarded to facilitate transportation and activities among local people during the Idul Fitri festivities, he added.

Every year here in North Sulawesi, Christians are deployed to assist in maintaining security for the Muslim celebrations of Idul Fitri and Idul Adha. In reciprocation, Muslims help maintain security during Easter and Christmas celebrations by Christians. This is how religious harmony and respect works.

One injured in Poso house shootout

2006-10-23T16:29:00.000+07:00

One person has been injured after a gunfight between security forces and locals that broke out in Poso late on Sunday night.
The violence occurred after policemen surrounded a house in the city's Tanah Runtuh district, where several suspected militants were believed to be hiding out. Alerted to the police presence, a group of people began shooting at and hurling rocks at the officers. According to a witness, Muhammaddong, one person was injured from a stone.

Government urged to overcome security disturbance in Poso

2006-10-23T16:16:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government is urged to work harder in its bid to overcome various security problems, especially after overnight tensions between people and security personnel in conflict-hit Poso, Central Sulawesi, Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin said here on Monday. "I received information this morning from Poso Muslim spokesman Adnan Arzal that an Islamic boarding school was attacked by a group of unidentified people on Sunday night," Din said after performing Idul Fitri prayers at the Blok S Square in South Jakarta. Following the incident, the Muhammadiyah chairman urged the government, security agencies in particular, to work even harder to arrest the intellectual actors behind the attack. Din added that if the government failed to do so, security disturbance in Poso would fearfully continue to get out of hand. "The attack was a provocation. Therefore, religious community from both Christian and Muslim sides should exercise self restraint in order to prevent the incident from widening," Din noted. On the occasion, he also mentioned that there was information on the presence of several foreign institutions in Central Sulawesi, including Poso. "According to the information, there are several foreign institutions in Central Sulawesi including Poso which are part of the conflict because they are unlikely working sincerely and seriously to develop the local people," he said. Despite the latest security disturbance, he called on Muslims across the country, especially in Poso, to remain calm and avoid further violence.

Government has not tackled Sulawesi conflict optimally: Amien Rais

2006-10-23T16:00:00.000+07:00

Thank you for stating the obvious Pak Amien. Verbal diarrhea from an Indonesian Moonbat. If the government was serious about solving the conflict, they would get rid of the militant element in the area, deploy even amounts of Muslim and Christian police and get their security forces out of there, who have attacked Christians in the past and are suspected to be behind recent bombings, which just add to the tension in the area.

Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - The relapse of the Central Sulawesi towns of Poso and Palu into an unstable security situation is an indication the government has yet to deal with the conflict in the religiously-divided province optimally, former People`s Consultative Assembly (MPR) chairman Amiern Rais said. "The tension gripping Poso in the past few days proves that the government has yet to overcome the existing problem there optimally," Amien said after delivering an Idul Fitri sermon at the Trirenggo Square in Bantul district on Monday. He said the government should have given more serious attention to efforts to solve the prolonged conflict there so that the local people did not need to suffer much longer. "The conflict there is a national disaster. Therefore, the government should act wisely and find the best possible solution to the problem and recreate a conducive situation there," Amien said. He said the government should also try to feel the agony of the people of Palu and Poso, and then give new hope and new life to them. "This is all for the sake of the integrity of the Indonesian Republic because all regions are parts of this country. Therefore, if the people in a particular area of the country are in great agony, the central government should also feel it and try to overcome it," Amien said.

Fjordman's recommendations for the West

2006-10-22T22:46:00.000+07:00

Again, the brilliance of Fjordman is right on the money. The West needs to band together to fight against Islam. Islam is persecuting Westerners in their own countries. Now you are beginning to taste what we go through everyday. Read his essay. Your life and freedom depends upon it.

Recommendations for the West by Fjordman at Gates of Vienna

Bali Bombers allowed to perform Idul Fitri prayers outside cells

2006-10-21T20:07:00.000+07:00

Semarang (ANTARA News) - The three death-row Bali I bombers - Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Ali Ghufron alias Mukhlas - are slated to perform Idul Fitri (Muslim post-fasting festivity) prayers together with other inmates of the Batu State Penitentiary in Nusakambangan, Cilacap, Central Java, on Tuesday (Oct 24). "The Moslem Legal Defence Team (TPM) has asked for permission for them to perform Idul Fitri prayers (outside their cells) " Sudjianto, chief warden of the Batu State Penitentiary, said when contacted by phone from here on Saturday. He said after the prayer service, the three would immediately be taken back to their cells. Sudjianto said he would ask the Cilacap police to assign some of their personnel to help ensure security at the prison complex on the first day of Idul Fitri (Tuesday). Last year, the three performed Idul Fitri prayers in their own quarters. "At the time, we were afraid to let them out of their cells," Sudjianto said. He said the three had so far been allowed to do their weekly Friday prayers in the prison mosque together with other people. It was also reported the families of the three convicts would visit them on the first day of Idul Fitri.

I see. The Muslim Indonesian government allows three Muslims on death row, who haven't been executed yet for their part in the Bali bombings, to perform prayers for Idul Fitri celebration but three Catholics were denied last rites, which are sacred to Catholics, before being executed by the Muslim Indonesian government. And the government calls itself religiously pluralistic? This is just another example of how the Muslim Indonesian government treats non-Muslims and if you are not a Muslim, you have no rights and receive no justice in Indonesia.

UN to be asked to resolve Central Sulawesi crisis?

2006-10-20T17:35:00.000+07:00

Police said Thursday new, tougher security laws were needed to find the murderers of a Protestant minister in strife-torn Poso, Central Sulawesi.
National Police chief Gen. Sutanto said Indonesia needed an Internal Security Act (ISA) akin to those in neighboring Malaysia and Singapore if it wanted to apprehend those who were suspected of perpetrating terrorist acts in the restive Poso region.
"This regulation would enable police to arrest suspects in the terror acts with only a minimum of evidence in our hands," Sutanto told reporters.
He said such evidence could even come in the form of voice recordings of terror suspects. He added that current law requires police to have a broad range of evidence to bring suspects to court.
Indonesia already has an anti-terror law that gives security officials the authority to detain suspected terrorists for a week without a warrant.
The police chief was responding to questions on obstacles police faced in trying to capture the murderers of Rev. Irianto Kongkoli.
Kongkoli was shot dead in broad daylight early last week while visiting a marketplace in Poso. He was the latest victim in a series of violent attacks that have affected both Muslims and Christians in Poso.
Police in Poso said Thursday they had questioned 19 people but none had been arrested. "We hope we will be able to find clues in the coming days," said Central Sulawesi police chief Brig. Gen. Badrodin Haiti.
Adrianus Meliala, criminologist and senior police advisor from Kemitraan Partnership, said the 2005 anti-terror law granted police very limited rights when it came to arresting and examining suspects.
"Police can only arrest suspects under the condition that the person is highly suspicious. Then they can detain them for only up to seven days," he said Thursday.
Adrianus said the current anti-terror law only allowed the police to catch suspects near the time of attacks, rather than enabling them to anticipate and prevent violence. He echoed Sutanto's assessment that the law requires broad evidence to pursue a case against a suspect.
"This is a conventional law because to bring the criminal case to the court the police need five components, such as the perpetrator, victim, witness, expert testimony and evidence," he said.
There have been numerous cases of violence in the area over the last six years. Besides Kongkoli, two Christian ministers have been killed.
On Nov. 16, 2003, Protestant minister Orange Tadjojo was found dead with a gunshot wound. On July 18, 2004, Protestant minister Susianti Tanulele was shot while she delivered a sermon before a congregation in Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi province.
Sutanto's statement met with skepticism among Christian leaders in Jakarta.
Alma Shepard Supit, a Protestant minister who leads the Indonesian Forum for Interreligious Dialog, said the comments only served to reinforce suspicion that the government, and the National Police in particular, were reluctant to take drastic measures to bring security back to Poso.
"The reasoning does not make any sense and it only shows that the police chief does not have the courage to make a tough decision," Supit said in a press conference Thursday.
A number of Christian leaders also called on the government to uncover the truth behind the spate of violence in Poso and its neighboring regions.
"Should the government fail to resolve the case, we are ready to bring this case to an international forum. If need be, we will call on the United Nations to send a peacekeeping force to Poso," Catholic priest Theophilus Bela said.
He added the peacekeeping force was necessary because security personnel deployed in the restive region were not entirely neutral in the conflict.
"We even suspect that some of them abet the crimes and that's why we also call on the government to start a purge of the mafia that holds sway in the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police," he added.

I wholeheartedly agreed that international intervention is needed here. You can read my previous comments on posts that the Indonesian government, military and police do not want to end the conflict. Their actions indicate that they support the Muslims only, allow the militants to continue to operate and only give lip service to the non-Muslims and international community. We need international intervention, hopefully by Australia, or some other neutral UN member.

Government to grant special remissions during Lebaran

2006-10-19T23:03:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government will give special jail term remissions to Muslim prisoners on the occasion of the post-fasting festivity locally known as Lebaran, a Law and Human Rights Ministry official said."The special remissions are to be given to prisoners based on Presidential Decree No.174/1999," Soekartono Supangkat, director of statistics and registration at the ministry`s directorate general of correctional institutes, said here Thursday.The remissions, ranging between 15 days and two months, would be given provided the prisoners concerned had behaved well during their stay in prison.He said prisoners were entitled to three kinds of remission in all -- general remission on National Independence Day (August 17), special remission on religious holidays and additional remission to prison inmates who were active in social and humanitarian activities. Soekartono said the Lebaran remissions for Muslim prisoners throughout the country would be symbolically granted at a ceremony at the Pondok Bambu detention center in East Jakarta.

I see, so does that mean Christian and Catholic prisoners get remissions on Christmas and Easter? Hindus on Deepavali? Buddhists on Waisak Day (Buddha's Birthday)? Or does everyone get a remission on Independence Day and only Muslims get extra remissions?

Indonesia vows to remain religiously pluralistic

2006-10-19T13:16:00.000+07:00

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia stands by religious pluralism, and radical Islamists are a small minority in the world's most populous Muslim nation, presidential spokesman and adviser Andi Mallarangeng said on Wednesday.

Hmmm.....10% of Indonesians think that the Bali bombings by Jemaah Islamiyah were justified and 1 in 5 Indonesains supports JI. I think that number of radical Islamists might be small but there is definitely support for their actions.

In recent years Indonesia has suffered from a series of deadly attacks on Western targets blamed on Islamic militants, while an increasing number of local and regional rules and regulations have been passed that are in line with Sharia, or Islamic law.
But Mallarangeng, speaking to foreign correspondents and diplomats on a panel about President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's first two years in office, said most Indonesian Muslims rejected the more extreme versions of the faith.
"Indonesian Islam is not like that," he said.
He also said election trends as well as recent polls suggest support for political parties who want to make Indonesia an Islamic state is dropping.

But support for radicalism is increasing. The polls show this evidence.

As far as Yudhoyono's government is concerned, Mallarangeng said: "Pancasila is final in Indonesia as the state foundation ... those people just need to face it."
Propounded as the country's basic political philosophy in 1945 by Indonesian founding father Sukarno, Pancasila includes faith in God, but tolerance of different religions.
Indonesia is the world's fourth most populous country, with 220 million people, 85 percent of whom follow Islam.
However, secular parties have a majority in Indonesia's parliament, and a poll released last Sunday supported Mallarangeng's argument that backing for their Islamist competitors is decreasing.

But the same poll showed around one Indonesian Muslim in 10 endorsed jihad, or holy struggle, violence

and justified bombing attacks on Indonesia's tourist island of Bali, where 202 people were killed in blasts three years ago attributed to the militant Jemaah Islamiah network.
Mallarangeng said Yudhoyono's government was doing all it could to go after violent Islamists.
"I think our record is good. We fight them, we chase them, we destroy their cells, we put them in jail and we sentence them to death," he said.

Sentencing and executing are two different things. Why haven't the terrorists been executed?

In the latest legal development, prosecutors in the Central Java capital of Semarang on Wednesday demanded the death sentence for Islamic militant Subur Sugiyarto, who is on trial for possession of explosives and firearms, the state's Antara news agency reported.
The prosecutors also said Sugiyarto was an associate of fugitive bombing suspect Noordin Top.
Three men convicted of terrorism over the 2002 Bali bombings are already on death row, although they have yet to be executed and are appealing their sentences.
On the issue of the increasing number of regional and local regulations in line with Islamic law, Mallarangeng said generally they did not explicitly refer to Sharia, but the central government was reviewing statutes to see if they violated national law and the constitution.
He also said individuals and private groups were free to challenge such laws in court themselves.

Islamic laws are being slipped in by stealth and the government is slow to respond to these violations of the constitution and Pancasila. Why is that? These rogue mayors and governors need to be reprimanded and incarcerated for their actions.

Bali tourist numbers plunging

2006-10-19T12:14:00.000+07:00

THE number of Australians travelling to Indonesia has halved in the year since 23 people died in the second Bali bombings.
New Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show 139,990 Australians visited Indonesia - the vast majority going to Bali for holidays -- in the 12 months to August, down from 273,160 in the same period to August last year.
Analysis of monthly figures indicates there is no recovery in sight, with Australians still jittery about visiting Bali since the blasts at Kuta Beach and Jimbaran Bay killed four of their compatriots.
Tourist numbers bounced back after an initial slump following the 2002 terrorist Bali attacks, when 88 Australians were killed.
Indonesia topped the list of overseas holiday destinations for Australians in August last year but had dropped to fifth place 12months later.
Most of those who travelled to Bali were repeat visitors who had remained loyal to the island.
"The regulars still come but the newcomers and the families don't come any more," said Waywayan Budiarsa, sales director of the Ramada Bintang Hotel in the Balinese town of Tuban.
Australians once accounted for 35 per cent of the hotel's customers. The proportion was now 10per cent, he said.
"After the first bombings it was back to normal six months later, but that has not happened this time," Mr Budiarsa said.
Adelaide-based Venture Holidays managing director Cos Matteo said Indonesian airline Garuda had this month stopped its thrice-weekly flights from South Australia's capital to Bali. Garuda had signalled it would halt flights to Bali from Australia's east coast from next March. "Bali used to be our biggest seller. But now it's eclipsed by places like Thailand and Malaysia," Mr Matteo said.

Not surprising. As long as the Indonesian government does not take security of the country seriously, especially in Bali, how does it expect to increase foreign investment in this country? Tourists are going to safer countries like Malaysia, Vietnam and vacation spots in Thailand to spend their much needed dollars.

Is this half-hearted approach to security by the government because Bali is a non-Muslim island? Quite possibly. The Balinese have been virtually left to take care of their own security needs. This blasé approach by the Muslim government shows a lack of concern for non-Muslim citizens and further proves that Muslims and non-Muslims are treated differently in this supposed secular nation. Tourists from Bali quite often venture on to visit Buddhist temple Borobudur, the Hindu temple site at Prambanan, the orangutan sanctuaries in Kalimantan and Sumatera and other places. If tourism declines in Bali, then the ripple effect of this will be felt in other tourist areas. The government doesn't seem care and provides a minimum effort to militant threat so as to give the impression that something is being done. Just the same, when former dictator Soeharto's son Tommy was on the run, he managed to elude captors for a long time before finally being captured. A high profile person such as Tommy should have been easy to catch but half-hearted efforts and corruption delayed justice. Are these half-hearted efforts again evident in the capture of Noordin M.Top? Recent polls show that 1 in 5 Indonesians support Top's terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah. That's 44 million Indonesians that support the actions of terrorism. Is it any wonder, with poor security and the attitude of 44 million Indonesians, that tourists don't want to come here?

Introduce your congregation to the persecuted church

2006-10-19T11:55:00.000+07:00

This comes from Rick Warren's Ministry Toolbox in a weekly newsletter to Pastors. Original article is here

All pastors want to help their church members understand the persecuted church.
We all want to learn something of the secret of the world’s largest-ever revival in China, or be inspired by the heroic endurance of thousands of Eritrean brothers and sisters, literally cooking to death in metal shipping containers parked in the steaming jungle, all because they refuse to give up their right to read the Bible and pray. If we connect our churches with that kind of fire-filled faith, it may rub off on us.
So how do we do it?
I thought about this a long time and had a five-point plan (nicely alliterated too) to recommend to you to make this happen. But then, two huge flaws reared up to torpedo this strategy.
First, give a pastor another task list, and they’ll start to whimper. Might even push them over the edge. As a British government insider said recently, “Our strategy was to keep announcing targets, initiatives, plans, which always generated headlines and made it seem like we’re always on top of things. [The] problem was, we kept announcing so many new plans we never gave the first plans any time to work, and the result was chaos.” Similarly, churches are suffocating from a surfeit of initiatives. What an insult it would be to reduce the persecuted church to yet another task on an already crowded roster.
Second – and here’s the biggest rub – pastors can only lead their churches into realizations that they embody themselves. Since most pastors don’t understand the persecuted church, the task is doomed to failure.
So what discovery is the pastor going to radiate about persecution that enables them – and their church – to understand the persecuted church?
Here’s my suggestion: Congregations will understand the persecuted church only when their pastor becomes one of the persecuted church!
OK, belay those images of pastors led away in chains from hospitals for threatening abortion doctors or jailed for insulting political figures or pouring out anti-atheistic venom on talk shows. It’s deeper and bigger than that, as a couple of them found out on a visit to China.
There’s a house church in Beijing I take my friends to visit. The members are all young professionals, about 20 of them, and they meet in a huge, darkened, open-plan office at midnight once a week. At the beginning of each meeting, the leader goes around and asks each member this question: What are your wounds for Christ this week?
On one occasion, I had brought three American friends, and the same question – through translation – was put to each of them. They replied, “Oh, we are not wounded or persecuted, you see, we live in America, where we have religious freedom, and we are so grateful for that!”
This reply was greeted with uncomprehending silence by the Chinese house church. Then a young woman spoke up and without a trace of irony asked, “You mean, they don’t let the Devil into America?”
The house church leader patiently explained to the visitors the biblical understanding of persecution: “In the Bible, to be persecuted means to be pursued by the enemies of Christ. When we become a Christian, his enemies become our enemies, and we are pitched into a battle with the world and the Devil, and this fight will draw wounds. So it doesn’t matter whether you are in China or America, the fight is the same, only the degree of suffering may differ. You’re going to get pursued – that’s persecution.”
“But we thought persecution was legal discrimination, or being put into jail for one’s faith” said one of the visitors. The house church leader replied, “That’s the extreme tip of it. Look, we may not sit on the same thorn, but we all sit on the same branch.”
Still the visitors did not look convinced. Another Chinese member said, “If you don’t have wounds for Christ, how do you know you are alive in Christ? Wounds bring joy, because then you know you are making a difference.”
This struck a chord with the visitors, two of whom were pastors. As preachers, they knew that nothing communicates like joy. That’s why persecuted churches are growing churches – they are alive in Christ, and they know it because they have wounds!
But how do you take that back to Madison, Wis., or Fort Lauderdale, Fla.? It sounds good. It’s good theology. But how does it work? How does a pastor become one of the persecuted – in a society that is often indifferent to the exercise of religion?
The two pastors explained their confusion to the house church. One woman said to them, “Was Paul persecuted because he was a Christian? No, he was persecuted because he was a witnessing Christian. He went to the synagogues and preached there, and then he got into trouble. So find the source of resistance to the Gospel in your local area and when you apply the Gospel, watch the fight begin.” The house church pastor put it this way, “Confront the defining evil in your area or your society – that will bring persecution. For us, the evil is obvious; for you, it may be more subtle.”
One pastor went back to his church in an inner city area. He became convicted that the youth gangs were the defining evil in the area, especially as they were going on killing sprees and starting to become drug pushers. He began prayer meetings and outreaches to the gangs. He even became a chaplain to a particularly violent gang. After a while, he saw fruit, but he also got a visit from a local gun runner, “Leave the kids alone, or else – you’re bad for business,” he said. One night, six months later, a bullet came through the window as the church baptized five converted gang leaders. The reaction of the pastor could have come from the mouth of the Chinese house church leader. He said, “It was a beautiful bullet, because now we knew we were making a difference.”
That pastor had joined the persecuted church and led his congregation into a greater awareness of the worldwide persecuted church. They wanted to know about their brothers and sisters in Eritrea, China, North Korea, and Iran not just because the Christians there needed their prayers and their money, but because they were one in the same battle. Christians in the West need the insights and prayers of suffering Christians around the world to fight their own battles better.
The other pastor returned to his church in a very upscale, business district. After praying with his elders, they came up with the defining evil of the area, which they called “The Lie – Get rich; be free.” This was the besetting idol, they felt, and began to model an alternative lifestyle in the community that reversed consumerist expectations. The pastor confesses, “I’ve had more persecution from the congregation than from the community to be honest, so it’s a long-term thing, but I have to say this – I feel so much better, because I’m not such a hypocrite in the pulpit anymore.”
Pastors, here’s your challenge: If you want your congregations to understand the persecuted church, then become a persecuted pastor.
Embody your message. Fight the battle against besetting evils in a concrete, not an abstract way. Let the wounds show. And watch your congregation catch the fire, and understand the persecuted church in the best way possible – by joining it!
Brother Andrew always says, “Persecution is an honor you have to deserve.” If we do, we will live in the joy of the eighth beatitude:
“You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you deeper into God’s Kingdom.” (Matt. 5:10 MSG)
Deeper into God’s Kingdom? Isn’t that why we are pastors? To take the people deeper into God’s Kingdom? Let the persecuted help with that! Take up their challenge, and join them!

Hasanuddin group suspected of killing Clergyman

2006-10-18T23:38:00.000+07:00

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Indonesia’s National Police (Polri) is still convinced that the Hasanuddin group was the perpetrator of the shooting to death of clergyman Irianto Kongkoli shooting on Monday (16/10). This group, which disagrees with peace in Poso, previously shot clergyman Susianti Tinulele on July 18, 2004. Chief Comm. Bambang Kuncoko, Polri spokesperson, said the police are not excluding the possibility that there is another group imitating the Hasanuddin group’ methods. “However, imitators have weaknesses,” he said. According to the police department, the methods used in the murder this time are very similar to the Hasanuddin group’s methods. The Central Sulawesi Regional Police are of the same opinion. “The mode of operation was the same as with the shooting of clergyman Susianti Tinulele. The action was rapid, a shot was fired then the perpetrators disappeared,” said Brig. Gen. Badrodin Haiti, Chief of the Central Sulawesi Regional Police. However, he was not yet prepared to conclude that the Hasanuddin group was behind this recent shooting. Hasanuddin and three of his accomplices has been under detention since April, 2005, at the Polri Headquarters. He is suspected of being involved in riots in Poso, including the mutilation of three Poso High School female students, bombing at Tentena Market and the murder of a clergyman. According to the police, the Hasanuddin group is a small group that is not satisfied with the Malino Agreement that was initiated by Jusuf Kalla, who was the Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare at that time. The police have stated that Hasanuddin came from the Poso Mujahidin Assembly group. Clergyman Irianto was known as a priest who supported peace. He was also close to well-known Islam leaders and often held cross-religion events. Irianto was shot dead by four unknown people wearing masks, Monday (16/10), when he was with his wife and child at a hardware store in Palu.

Death sentence demanded for militant

2006-10-18T20:28:00.000+07:00

SEMARANG (AP): Prosecutors in Central Java province on Wednesday demanded a suspected militant be sentenced to death for allegedly recruiting terrorists and helping plan last year's bombings onthe resort island of Bali.
Subur Sugiarto is alleged to be a key aide of Noordin Top, a leader of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), an Islamic militant group accused of five bloody suicide bombings targeting Western interests since 2002, including the 2005 attacks on Bali that killed 20.
Prosecutor Sri Soewarno said Sugiarto was guilty of violating anti-terror laws by joining Noordin in planning the Bali blasts and helping him recruit militants.
Soewarno also said Sugiarto's actions had spoiled the image of Islam.
Under Indonesian law, judges are free to ignore prosecutors' demands when sentencing.
Defense lawyers will respond to the sentence recommendations at the next hearing, scheduled for Nov. 8.
Indonesia has arrested and convicted scores of alleged members of JI in recent years.

Intelligence investigations hope to find killer

2006-10-18T20:08:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Former Wirabuana Military Commander Suaidi Marassabesy has expressed hope that the government, especially its security agencies, will intensify intelligence operations as well as security-maintenance efforts to uncover the mystery behind the recent spate of acts of violence and terror in the conflict-prone Central Sulawesi towns of Palu and Poso. "The local administration also needs to hold more frequent meetings with related community figures to find the best possible solution to the continuing horizontal conflict in Poso," he said. The Poso conflict began on December 1, 1998 when Suaidi Marassabesy was serving as Wirabuana VII Military Commander. He immediately came to Poso for dialogs with local community figures, especially with leaders of the Muslim community, after the first clashes happened. "I went from mosque to mosque to meet with the public and religious figures in a bid to remedy the situation. After the root of the problem and its solution were found, the conflict was brought under control in only three days, although it flared up again a few months later," Marassabesy said. According to him, the conflict in Poso was not as big as that in Maluku but its solution was more difficult because it was related to several factors.

He said the first factor that had contributed to the Poso conflict was the region`s width and strategic geographic location as a transit point for members of radical movements.

The second was the fact that the Poso district administration`s center was physically far removed from the provincial administration in Palu.

The third factor, according to the former Wirabuana Military commander, was the role of third parties in infiltrating the region and indoctrinating locals.

I see, you must be talking about terrorist group Laskar Jihad, invited and welcomed by local Muslims and government officials. How is being welcomed with open arms, infiltrating? They were given a free reign by the military and police. Any lower ranking military that tried to crack down on LJ was disciplined and over ruled by the government and generals in the military. And what about the local politicians, businessmen and military? You failed to mention them.

"In light of all this, the government should hold dialogs as often as possible with Poso`s local community by inviting outside figures as mediators to solve the problem thoroughly," Marassabesi said. He made the remarks to comment on Monday`s shooting of a Christian minister, Reverend Irianto Kongkoli, in religiously-divided Central Sulawesi province. The minister, who was also general secretary of the Central Sulawesi Communion of Churches, was gunned down as he and his wife were at a building materials shop in south Palu.

Terrorism behind murder of Pastor in Poso

2006-10-18T19:47:00.000+07:00

National police said the murderers of Reverend Kongkoli could be linked to a terrorist group already suspected of beheading Christian girls in 2005. This group is connected to Jemaah Islamiyah.

Palu (AsiaNews.it) – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has ordered security forces to thoroughly investigate the killing of a Protestant pastor in Palu, Central Sulawesi, on 16 October. Meanwhile, after initial investigations, police believe the perpetrators of the crime could be members of a terrorist group already suspected of beheading young Christian girls last year. The group is linked the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) network that in turn is held to be close to Al-Qaeda.
A presidential spokesman said Susilo had asked the competent authorities to “to seriously tackle the case of Rev. Irianto Kongkoli, and to uncover the perpetrators so that they can be brought to justice and punished.”
The 40-year-old reverend, chairman of the Central Sulawesi Churches of Synod (GKST), was killed by a bullet in the nape of his neck on Monday as he stood at the entrance of a shop in Palu. Tension has gripped the city since the execution of three Catholics on 22 September for their alleged role in bloody sectarian clashes that took place in 2000 in Poso, in the same province.
Yesterday, the national police chief General Sutanto said interrogation of witnesses and investigations into the crime were still under way. Police spokesman, Bambang Kuncoko, said that based on how the murder was carried out, "we suspect the killers are from the same group that has carried out recent bombings and mutilations" in the area. He was referring to the beheading of Christian girls and a series of low-level bombings last year. According to what journalists were told later in the day, the police believe the group of Hasanuddin could be involved. Hasanuddin is currently detained in Jakarta for the beheading of the young Christian students. He is known to be a member of JI, a terror network operative in South-east Asia.

For more on Hasanuddin's gang "Link between Poso and JI unclear"

The police of Central Sulawesi speculated that the motive for the murder could be to ignite religious sentiments in the province in order to create tension between Muslim and Christian communities. From 1999 to 2001, interfaith violence claimed more than 2,000 lives in Poso and Palu.
Meanwhile, several local churches flew their flags at half-mast in a show of mourning. Rev. Kongkoli will be buried this afternoon or at the latest, tomorrow, 19 October, in a Christian cemetery in the Talise subdistrict, Palu.

President orders investigation

2006-10-18T13:58:00.000+07:00

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has ordered security forces to thoroughly investigate the shooting Monday of a Christian pastor in conflict-prone Palu, Central Sulawesi.
Presidential spokesman Andi Alfian Mallarangeng said Tuesday that Yudhoyono had ordered Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo Adi Sucipto to quickly find those who killed Rev. Irianto Kongkoli, secretary-general of the South Sulawesi Christian Church.
"The president has instructed (the minister) ... to seriously tackle this case and uncover the perpetrators so that they can be brought to justice and punished," Mallarangeng said in comments broadcast on ElShinta radio, AFP reported.
The 40-year-old pastor was shot dead by masked gunmen while shopping with his wife.
The president also asked residents in Central Sulawesi to remain calm and keep the peace, Andi said.
Tensions in the province, where Muslims and Christians live in roughly equal numbers, were already running high following the Sept. 22 executions of three Christians who were convicted of inciting violence against Muslims in 2000.
Separately, the chief of the National Police, Gen. Sutanto, said Tuesday in Semarang that the police were still investigating the shooting and have questioned witnesses.
"It's just that we don't yet know the motive behind the pastor's shooting. We're still analyzing and collecting data," he explained.
"(The suspects) are still at large, so we can't be sure whether they're from out of town or within it," Sutanto said.
National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Bambang Kuncoko said in Jakarta the police had "questioned six witnesses, including the victim's wife and driver".
He said based on how the murder was carried out, "we suspect the pair are from the same group that has carried out recent bombings and mutilations". He was referring to a series of low-level bombings in the past year and the beheadings of three Christian girls in 2005.
A source, however, told Sinar Harapan daily Tuesday that authorities were connecting the murder to the Basri group, which has also been linked to the beheadings of the three girls.
"Preliminary suspicion is that the group has intentionally tried to divert attention from Poso to Palu with the shooting of pastor Irianto Kongkoli," the source said.
The murder was widely condemned, with chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights, Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara, demanding the government boost efforts to deal with the roots of the problems which have triggered violence in Sulawesi over the last few years.
The youth wing of the Muslim organization Muhammadiyah urged the government to punish the shooters.
"We demand the National Police chief immediately arrest the shooters and give them the heaviest penalty, death if necessary, to let people know the country's laws do not make exceptions," said the group's president Muhammad Ihsan.
In Palu, residents gave a cold greeting to an entourage of local and Jakarta officials who came to visit the victim's home.
Meanwhile, several churches and Christians flew their flags at half-staff for three days as a show of concern.
The pastor will be buried midday Wednesday at a Christian cemetery in the Talise subdistrict of East Palu.

Police find motive of Clergyman's murder

2006-10-18T13:53:00.000+07:00

National Police Chief General Sutanto said here on Tuesday that the police had found the motive behind the murder on Monday of a Christian priest in Palu, Central Sulawesi. "We will disclose it after the perpetrators have been captured," he said after inaugurating 294 Police Academy graduates. Sutanto said that the police were still hunting down the murderers. "We will inform the media if there are new developments," he said. He said the police had already questioned witnesses but declined to disclose their number. He also declined when asked if the perpetrators locals or coming from another region. "Just wait and see. We cannot make guesses. We will tell you if we have found the perpetrators," he said. Sutanto said he would not send reinforcements to the region to maintain security there. Reverend Irianto Kongkoli was shot to death by a masked gunman while he was at a building materials store at around 8.30 am on Monday. The general secretary of the Central Sulawesi Christian Church Synod Council was with his wife and child when the attack occurred. His wife and child were unharmed, but gunman fled with a friend who was waiting on a motorbike.

Church,rights groups press Jakarta on Pastor's murder

2006-10-17T21:47:00.000+07:00

JAKARTA, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Local church and rights groups demanded on Tuesday that the Indonesian government catch the killers of a murdered Christian pastor and uncover the roots of the cycle of violence gripping Central Sulawesi province.
Reverend Irianto Kongkoli was shot in the head when he was buying ceramic tiles on Monday at a shop in the province's capital of Palu, 1,650 km (1,030 miles) northeast of Jakarta.
The incident was not the first close-range assassination of Christian clergy in Central Sulawesi, still suffering from sporadic violence after Muslims and Christians agreed to end the 1998-2001 sectarian war in the province's Poso region.
"The lives of people in Central Sulawesi are shrouded with fear. The government's approach is too standard. Every time there is unrest, troops are sent. More should be done," said Reverend Andreas Yewangoe, head of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia, the country's umbrella group for Protestants.
"The church institution urges the setting of an independent team to probe the recurring violence," he said, adding that religious groups were being pushed to revive the conflict.
Police have said two men wearing masks were involved in Monday's shooting. Police are interrogating witnesses including Kongkoli's wife, herself a policewoman, who was waiting for her husband in a car outside the shop.
Police have failed to unearth perpetrators of previous assassination cases, and Indonesia's leading human rights group Kontras said government efforts have failed to show political will to get to the bottom of the problem in Central Sulawesi.
"The government is not serious in resolving the problems in conflict areas and it tends to ignore its own responsibility," Kontras operational head Indria Fernida told a news conference.
The group accuses figures in the security forces of being behind the tension.

SYSTEM WORKING?

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told reporters he has ordered security forces to take necessary measures.
"Our system is working. But we need contributions from all parties. We need to really end the conflict among us," he said.
The province has become more tense since the executions last month of three Christian militants over the slaying of Muslims in a boarding school in 2000, the peak of the sectarian clashes.
Small bombs have sporadically exploded in Poso since the executions although most of them have caused no damage or injuries and two Muslims had been killed during a protest against the executions.
The Catholic trio were executed on Sept. 22 by a firing squad despite appeals from Pope Benedict and rights groups.
About 800 extra police and troops have been sent to Poso town due to the latest inter-religious tensions.
Three years of sectarian clashes in Central Sulawesi killed more than 2,000 people before a peace accord took effect in late 2001. There has been sporadic violence ever since.
Around 85 percent of Indonesia's 220 million people follow Islam, but Central Sulawesi have roughly equal numbers of Muslims and Christians.
Three Islamic militants are on death row for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people. Kontras accuse the government of using the two execution cases as "a balancing tool in the politics of Muslim-Christian segregation.

Reverend Irianto's murder an insult to humanity

2006-10-17T18:41:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The assassination of Christian Reverend Irianto Kongkoli in the Central Sulawesi city of Palu on Monday is an insult to humanitarian values and an indication of the state agencies' failure to ensure the community's security, a Catholic Church official has said. "It seems human beings in this country (Indonesia) are no longer of any value," Father Benny Susetyo Pr, executive secretary of the Indonesian Bishops` Conference (KWI), said here on Tuesday. He was commenting on the shooting of Central Sulawesi Christian Church Secretary General Rev. Irianto Kongkoli by unidentified persons in Palu on Monday. Irianto was shot dead by masked gunmen in front of Sinar Sakti store on Jalan Mongonsidi at 8.15 a.m. local time in the presence of his his wife and five-year old daughter, Gea. Noting that acts of violence had often happened in Palu and Poso in the recent past, Father Benny said if they continued to occur, the government`s role in enforcing the law and maintaining security for all Indonesians would come into serrious question.He said inability to prevent acts of violence, bombing terror and murders in religiously-divided Central Sulawesi would indicate a dramatic decline in governmental authority. Benny expressed hope the government would quickly investigate Irianto Kongkoli`s murder and uncover the parties involved in the crime. Meanwhile, the Jakarta Post daily reported on Tuesday that the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) condemned the slaying of the pastor and urged religious leaders in the conflict-torn region to avoid provocation and keep their followers calm over the incident. "We convey our deepest remorse and regret over the shooting of Rev. Irianto Kongkoli," the PGI said in a statement, urging the government to tackle the fundamental problems in Central Sulawesi and tighten security there to prevent more violence.

Indonesian police will not add extra troops in Poso yet

2006-10-17T17:50:00.000+07:00

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Chief of Indonesian Police General Sutanto affirmed that it is not yet necessary to increase the number of troops to Palu in response to the shooting of clergyman Irianto Konkoli yesterday (10/16). “The existing security troops are enough. There is no need for additional troops,” said Sutanto this morning (10/17) in Semarang. He visited Semarang in order to attend the inauguration of the 2006 Police Academy Cadets. According to him, as many as 16 company-level units or around 1,000 personnel of the Police Mobile Brigade are on duty in Palu now. The troops came from North Sulawesi, East Kalimantan and South Sulawesi Police Departments and Kelapa Dua Mobile Brigade, Depok. Chief of the Central Sulawesi Police Department Brigadier General Badrodin Haiti is tracing the motives of the incident by interrogating several people. Four persons will be asked for information such as Hasanudin, Haris, Irwanto and Jendra. They are being arrested in Jakarta because they are related to a number of cases such as the murder of three students of Poso Christian High School; the shooting of Clergyman Susianti Tinulele and Prosecutor Ferry Silalahi.

So are these four suspects? How are they related? Are being arrested? Do you mean in the process of being arrested, not yet arrested or already arrested? I love informative news briefs.

Another bomb has just gone off in Poso

2006-10-17T17:22:00.000+07:00

A small bomb has exploded in an abandoned house in Poso. No one was injured. Still waiting for more details to come in.

Indonesians demand truth in pastor's death

2006-10-17T12:30:00.000+07:00

(Asia News.it) Catholics, Protestants, Muslims and human rights activists condemn this morning’s murder of Rev Kongkoli in Palu. The authorities are urged to find those behind this act and the 1999-2001 violence. Bomb goes off in Poso but there are no reports of casualties.
The Catholic Church and Indonesian Christians along with human rights groups, Muslim organisations and local government officials have condemned the murder of Rev Irianto Kongkoli which occurred this morning in Palu (Central Sulawesi). They all demand that those responsible for the violence that gripped the area in the last few years be brought to justice.
“Let an independent taskforce or fact-finding team be established to disclose the facts,” said Fr. Benny Susetyo, secretary of the Interfaith and Religious Dialogue Commission of the Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia. “Without any strong commitment from local government and Jakarta, peace and order in Poso will not be achieved”.
A few hours ago, in the predominantly Christian village of Kayamanya, which is near Poso, a bomb exploded. So far there have been no reports of casualties or damages.
Between 1991 and 2001 Poso and Central Sulawesi province were the scene of bloody sectarian clashes between Christians and Muslims that left 2,000 people dead.
Three Catholics were executed by firing squad on September 22 in Palu for some of the massacres. But their death has reignited tensions in the province. Fears are growing that Idul Fitri (end of Ramadan on october 24-25) celebrations might be marred by further violence.
Rev Kongkoli, chairman of the Central Sulawesi Churches of Synod (GKST), had publicly opposed the execution of three Catholics. And today gunmen killed him with a shot at the head in front of his wife as they were leaving a store in Palu.
Palu’s deputy mayor, Suardin Suebu, described the murder as “a brutal act “of terrorism.
Hany Tikualo, head of the Law and Human Rights Advocacy Agency, said that act was meant to instil terror in the population.
For the Jakarta-based Indonesian Churches of Synod (PGI), a “thorough investigation is needed to find the reasons behind the murder.”
For Rev Andreas Yewangoe, a top PGI official, today’s murder “is a serious crime that has the potential of destroying peace and order”. He added: “We call on Christians not to react to the provocation that these acts of terror represent; they are only meant to set one community against the other”.
Indonesia’s national security agency, the BIN, agrees that the clergyman’s murder was intended to undermine religious harmony.
Muhammadiyah, Indonesia’s second largest Muslim organisation, also strongly condemned the murder. Its chairman, Din Syamsudin, said security forces “must keep the peace and bring to justice the murderers” of Rev Kongkoli.

BIN warns of more Sulawesi unrest

2006-10-17T11:58:00.000+07:00

(Jakarta Post) The State Intelligence Agency (BIN) warned of more attacks during Idul Fitri celebrations in religiously-divided Central Sulawesi after a Christian pastor was shot dead in the provincial capital of Palu.
The assassination of Rev. Irianto Kongkoli, secretary general of the South Sulawesi Christian Church, was linked to efforts to revive the bloody conflict in the province, BIN chief Syamsir Siregar said.
"We have to boost the security system in rural and urban areas (in Central Sulawesi), as we are informed that some groups are planning to instigate riots during Idul Fitri," he said, without elaborating.
Irianto, 40, was shot dead by masked gunmen at 8:15 a.m. while he was shopping with his wife in Palu.
Central Sulawesi Governor H.B. Paliudju, speaking in Jakarta, said the shooting was likely connected to the Sept. 22 execution of three Christian militants, Fabianus Tibo, Marinus Riwu and Dominggus da Silva, for leading a deadly attack on a Muslim village in 2000.
"I saw him (Irianto) attending Tibo's trial. He and Rev. Damanik led people to protest the executions. There is a red thread linking the case to the executions," he said.
Irianto was the third victim of deadly violence in the province after the executions. Two Muslims were killed by an angry mob a day after the executions.
However, Syamsir insisted that the murder of the pastor was related to the previous conflict between Muslims and Christians in Central Sulawesi.
He said "Ramadhan and Idul Fitri are a sensitive period and (any act of violence) could give rise to (a renewal of the conflict)" that raged in the region in 2000 and 2001, killing some 1,000 people.
He accused parties unhappy with the resolution to end the fighting of attempting to reignite tensions in the province.
"They may also have certain targets," Syamsir said.
National Police chief Gen. Sutanto urged the public to wait for the results of an investigation into the murder. "We don't know yet the motives behind the incident," he said.
South Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Badrodin Haiti said the gunmen who assassinated the pastor had been identified along with their motorcycle. "It is likely that the victim was followed from his house," he said.
Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo Adisucipto said the situation in Central Sulawesi remained under control despite the incident and that the government had no plans to deploy more security troops to the province.
Human rights groups urged the government to form an independent fact-finding team to deal with cases of violence in the province. "The people have lost their trust in the government," Indonesian Legal Aid Institute director Patra M. Zen said.
The Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) condemned the slaying of the pastor and urged religious leaders in the conflict-torn region to avoid provocation and keep their followers calm over the incident.
"We convey our deepest remorse and regret over the shooting of Rev. Irianto Kongkoli," the PGI said in a statement.
It blamed the government for failing to protect its citizens. "We urge the government to tackle the fundamental problems in Central Sulawesi and tighten the security there to prevent more violence," the communion said.
Irianto was known for his close relationships with Muslim leaders in Palu. He was involved in promoting a peaceful resolution to the conflict, while often staunchly criticizing the poor performance of security forces in the province.
Hundreds of Christians and Muslims along with local government officials visited Irianto's house to express condolences on his death.

Calling from Blogosphere to Boycott Indonesia

2006-10-17T09:23:00.000+07:00

Designed by
My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

A call out from Dr. Rusty Shackleford of the Jawa Report in a posting Boycott Indonesia - Stop murdering Christians Now! to boycott Indonesia until it stops the persecution of minority Christians here in Indonesia has started. My eternal gratefulness to him for bringing this to the attention of the blogosphere!!
I would also like to thank Beth Cleaver at MY VRWC for making the new signs to boycott Indonesia, to Charles Johnson at LGF, and to Michelle Malkin for their postings.

Discussion around the breakfast table this morning brought thoughts that the assassination of Rev. Irianto may have come from former Muslim Bupati (District Head) Arief Patanga. We suspect Patanga had Rev. Irianto silenced. Irianto was outspoken about Patanga and that Patanga should have been punished and not Tibo et al. Reverend Irianto was told by Fabianus Tibo before Tibo's execution that Patanga was one of those responsible for the massacre at the pesantren where between 70 - 190 (depending on which account is believed) Muslims were killed. Patanga's younger brother Agfar was also on the list of 16 responsible as well as Patanga's Protestant deputy Yahya Patiro, Protestant businessman Eddy Bundkundapu and Muslim businessman Aliansa Tompo. The political war between politicians vying for District Head and corruption scandals of the area were covered up by continuing the conflict to draw attention away. Muslim and Protestant politicians encouraged the fighting while trying to get the upper hand in a power struggle in Central Sulawesi. 9 retired and still serving military were also involved. The real culprits remain free and three Catholic scapegoats were executed by the Indonesian Government. I guess corrupt politicians, military and businessman can still buy their freedom while poor farmers are left to die in their place. It was easier to kill three farmers than to re-open the trial and admit all evidence no matter how damning. Must have cost them a lot of money to buy their freedom.

The Indonesian government is desperate for foreign investment. Given the threat of terrorism and the rise of militancy and local Islamification, poor infrastructure, corruption at all levels and the cumbersome bureaucracy of doing business in Indonesia, other countries in SE Asia have more attractive business climates for investors. Boycotting investment and Indonesian products can help force the Indonesian government to make positive changes, domestically and internationally. But don't bet on it happening quickly. The political, economical and military elite in Indonesia wield great power and are reluctant to change the system which makes them rich and powerful through corruption, collusion and nepotism. It is a sad state of affairs here and seems to be like a truck frantically spinning its tires in the sand. Lots of action but no progress.

Will a boycott of Indonesia help the ethnic and religious minorities? In the long run, probably not, but it is worth the effort. The Muslim Javanese which dominate the government are an arrogant lot. Just ask the people of Aceh who claim they are slaves to the Javanese. The peace agreement, which was supposed to bring Aceh more autonomy and freedom, has stopped the seperation resistance and given Jakarta more power over Acehenese affairs. For the Acehenese, Balinese Hindus and Christian parts of Indonesia, the only answer is to secede from Indonesia, but this is only a dream. Meanwhile, the Indonesian government will give lip service to the world when confronted about its treatment of the minorities here and persecution will continue.

No extra tight security after murder of priest

2006-10-17T03:20:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Chief of Regional/Wirabuana Military Command VII Major General Arif Budi Sampoerno said the authorities would not take extra-tight security precautions after the murder of Rev Irianto Kongkoli in sectarian conflict-torn Poso, Central Sulawesi, on Monday morning. "The Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) is ready to provide assistance to the police in maintaining security and in catching the perpetrators of the assassination of Rev Irianto Kongkoli, who is also secretary of the Central Sulawesi Synod," he said when contacted by ANTARA News. But he said he had not received any request from the police to help maintain security on the occasion of the Idul Fitri post-fasting festivities and catch the murderer of the priest. He said that TNI and the police had already established a good cooperation in maintaining stability in Poso, including in uncovering the terrorist network which had disrupted peace in the Central Sulawesi town. "We have often conducted joint patrols and exchanged intelligence information in maintaining peace and stability and in handling various cases such as the riots after the execution of Tibo and friends," the military commander said. Kongkoli was shot to death by an unidentified gunman when he was visiting the "Sinar Sakti" building materials store on Jalan Wolter Monginsidi in Poso.

Indonesian churches concerned about the killing

2006-10-17T03:18:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) expressed concern here on Monday over the killing of Reverand Irianto Kongkoli, general secretary of the Central Sulawesi Christian Church, earlier in the day. "The incident indicates that the government is not yet capable of protecting its citizens," the chairman of the Executive Council of the PGI, Rev Andreas Yewanggoe, said in a press statement. In connection with the incident, he urged the government to solve the Poso problem thoroughly with a view to improving security in Palu, Poso, Tentena and their sorroundings which had remained susceptible to violence until now, and to capture the killers. He said the PGI called on the family of the victim and church members not to be provoked by the incident and also called on different religious followers in the region not to be trapped into efforts to pit one group in the community against another. Rev Irianto was shot to death while he was at a building materials shop by two unidentified men riding on a motorcycle. He was with his wife, Rita Kupa, who is also a police officer, and his adopted child Gea (4) when the incident occurred. His wife and child however survived the incident.

Police have identified the killers

2006-10-17T03:14:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - National Police Chief General Sutanto said here on Monday the police had already indentified the persons who killed Reverand Irianto Kongkoli in Palu, Central Sulawesi, earlier in the day. Speaking to reporters after attending a closed-door meeting with the Poso Team at the House of Representatives (DPR) building, he said "we are now trying to locate them." He said he could not yet say anything about the motive behind the murder. "We cannot make guesses about this. A team of investigators is now working to uncover it," he said. The chairman of the DPR`s Commission III, Trimedya Pandjaitan, meanwhile, criticized the police for performing poorly in ensuring security. "After the execution of Tibo and his associates we already warned of its possible impact on security conditions. We warned it was not impossible that the execution would lead to excesses in East Nusa Tenggara or Central Sulawesi," he said. The incident (the killing of the religious figure) only demonstrated the police`s poor performance, he said. "The performance of the police`s intelligence is also poor. If their intelligence was strong, it would not have happened," he said. He said the incident had occurred just two months after the execution of Tibo and his associates and it involved a religious figure who according to information he had received had had close relations with Tibo and his associates and had often served as their advocate. Trimedya said he wondered if this was the motive behind the incident. The politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDIP) also talked about the possiblity of the perpetrators wishing to incite Christians so that they would take revenge. Therefore, he called on the police to remain alert, especially during the Islamic post fasting holiday of Idul Fitr as well as Christmas later.

Another Bomb blast rocks Poso

2006-10-17T02:38:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A bomb blast again disturbed the composure of residents in the former sectarian conflict-torn Poso city, Central Sulawesi, on Monday evening. The blast, this time happened at 19:15 local time in an empty house in Lorong Dolidi Dawa, Pulau Nias Street, Poso district, abandoned by its owner after being gutted by fire in the past. "There are no casualties and material losses in the blast," Wirabuna Regional Military Commander May. Gen. Arief Budi Sampurno told ANTARA News here Monday evening. Until now the police is still trying to find the cause of the blast, he added. In the period following the execution of Fabianus Tibo, Dominggusda Silva and Marinus Riwu, there have been six bomb blasts. At least one resident was injured in the bomb blasts. On Monday morning, Reverend Irianto Kongkoli was found dead, and the police were still after the killer. Commander Arief further explained that there was no extra security precautions in the post murder period. The Indonesian National Defence Forces (TNI) was ready to take extra security precautions and even to help the police in unravelling the latest case of the murder of reverend Kongkoli. The National Police Chief said the murder may be linked to the execution of Tibo and his friends.

Because Rev. Irianto protested against the executions, he is gunned down in broad daylight? Who would want him dead? The Police? Muslim Politicians? Muslim militants?

It's obvious that the army and extra security are inept in deterring violence and Muslim militants feel secure to continue their reign of terror in Central Sulawesi. Christians feel threatened by the extra security presence, as they don't trust police and army which helped Muslims kill Christians during the past conflict. The only viable solution is for possibly an Australian or international security force to be deployed to protect Christians.

Islamic political parties aren't supported but terrorists are

2006-10-17T01:19:00.000+07:00

(Jakarta Post) The future of political Islam remains bleak in Indonesia, with fewer than one in 10 Muslims saying they would still vote for Islamic parties in the next election, a survey revealed Sunday. But the polling conducted by the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) shows religious radicalism and extremism remain strong in the nation with the world's largest Muslim population. The survey of 1,092 Muslims found only 9 percent would choose Islamic parties if the elections were held today. "The prospects for Islamic parties are filled with uncertainty," Sayuti Asyathri of the National Mandate Party said in response to the survey. "Political Islam should take firm measures to strengthen its activism. "The survey showed that 43 percent of Muslims here preferred to support secular parties, such as Golkar, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Democrat Party rather than Islamic parties such as the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). Only 5 percent said they were "close" to Islamic parties. The survey, which was conducted across the country from September to mid-October, concluded that the political leanings of Indonesian Muslims are basically liberal and pluralistic. Most respondents also believed that democracy was compatible with Islam and the state ideology of Pancasila. The poll revealed that 82 percent of the respondents believed in democracy and only 5 percent disagreed with the concept. "Mainstream Muslims here think that the public sphere should not be regulated by Islamic sharia," said LSI executive director Saiful Mujani. Political analyst and Muslim scholar Bachtiar Effendy said Islamic parties would never see real success. "They are often too busy with their own issues, such as an Islamic state and sharia," Bachtiar said, adding that the issues had been brought up in academic discourse since the 1960s.

"Nothing is new in LSI's findings. Islamic parties have never won elections," he said, also citing the work of noted American anthropologist Clifford Geertz. Saiful said Islamic parties must change their political orientation and become more pluralistic in order to survive. "In the end, all parties have to be pluralist. "Despite the apparent weakness of political Islam, the poll found that religious radicalism and extremism quietly have a strong grip on Indonesia. The survey found significant numbers of Indonesian Muslims agreed with the violent approach used by the Al-Qaeda-linked regional terrorist group Jamaah Islamiyah, which has been fighting for the establishment of an Islamic state in Southeast Asia.According to the survey, 9 percent felt the Bali bombings were justified as a form of "jihad to defend Islam". Another 80.7 percent explicitly condemned the Bali attacks. "Nine percent is certainly a significant figure to represent people supporting such extreme acts as the Bali attacks," Saiful noted. In addition, 17.4 percent of respondents said they supported Jamaah Islamiyah, 16.1 percent backed the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) and 7.2 percent supported Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia. The latter two are hard-line Islamic groups campaigning for sharia in the country.

The latter three are either terrorists or miltants. In Indonesia it is impossible to differ between the two. One thing is for sure, all three will not stop until Indonesia and then beyond is under Shariah law. Moderate Muslims, you are living on borrowed time. Unless you outlaw these groups and others like them, you can kiss the freedoms you enjoy, goodbye! And a note to all, Jemaah Islamiyah is not banned in Indonesia.

1 in 10 Indonesians believe Bali bombings are ok

2006-10-16T23:33:00.000+07:00

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Around one in 10 Indonesian Muslims support jihad and justify bomb attacks on Indonesia's tourist island of Bali as defending the faith, a survey released on Sunday showed.
Indonesia is the world's fourth most populous country, with 220 million people, 85 percent of whom follow Islam, giving the Asian archipelago the largest Muslim population of any nation in the world.
"Jihad that has been understood partially and practiced with violence is justified by around one in 10 Indonesian Muslims," the Indonesian Survey Institute said in a statement.
"They approved the bombings conducted ... in Bali with the excuse of defending Islam," it added, saying the percentage of such support "is very significant."
While the vast majority of Indonesia's Muslims are relatively moderate, there has been an increasingly vocal militant minority and political pressure for more laws that are in line with hardline Muslim teachings.
The poll surveyed a random sample of 1,092 Muslim men and women.
Bombings in Bali in October 2002 blamed on the militant Southeast Asian Jemaah Islamiah network killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. Suicide blasts in Bali a year ago killed 20.
The survey found one in five Indonesian Muslims more generally supported the aims of Jemaah Islamiah -- an armed movement backing the creation of an Islamic superstate linking Muslim Indonesia and Malaysia, and Muslim areas in the Philippines and Thailand.
In the past, it has cooperated closely with al Qaeda's global anti-Western campaign, but in recent years many in Jemaah Islamiah have focused more on the regional struggle.
Indonesia has had a major attack against high profile Western-linked targets each year from 2002 through 2005. Authorities tied all the attacks to elements of Jemaah Islamiah.
Indonesia is not officially an Islamic state.

Of course they support bombing in Bali, it's 95% Hindu there. 1 in 5 support Jemaah Islamiyah and almost 1 in 5 support Abu Bakr Ba'asyir's militant MMI (Mujahidin Majelis Indonesia) so I guess that makes Ba'asyir a double winner in Muslim Indonesian's eyes. My only response is to boycott Indonesia. Don't come here on vacation and don't buy Indonesian products. Buy Danish!!

Government condemns killing of Clergyman

2006-10-16T23:11:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo AS said here Monday the government condemned the killing of the general secretary of the Central Sulawesi Christian Church, Reverend Irianto Kongkoli, in Palu earlier in the day. He said that he had ordered law enforcement agencies to take immediate steps to solve the case. "We have specifically ordered the intelligence agencies, the police and the military (TNI) to immediately find the perpetrator(s)," he said after a closed-door meeting of the Poso Team at the parliament building. "The government condemns the shooting of Rev Irianto Kongkoli. This was an act of terror," he said. He said the security situation in Poso and Palu in Central Sulawesi was actually conducive but security authorities had to make continous efforts to maintain it. Widodo said the incident was more or less a form of reaction and response of certain people to the execution of Fabianus Tibo, Marinus Riwu and Dominggus da Silva recently. "We will continue to closely watch incidents happening after the executions," he said.

What a load of manure!! Lip service again from the Indonesian Government. The extra police and army in Central Sulawesi are there to make sure Christians behave, not Muslims. That's why Rev. Irianto was able to be murdered in a public shooting. Muslims continue to have a free reign to bomb (yesterday) and kill (today). This conflict is looking to open up again because the Muslim government won't do anything to muzzle the Muslim militants. Again, no justice for Christians and a good man is dead. God rest his soul and my prayers go out to the family.

Reverend gunned down in cold blood in Palu

2006-10-16T20:40:00.000+07:00

PALU, Central Sulawesi (AP): An unidentified gunman killed a Christian priest Monday on Sulawesi island, where religious tensions have been mounting since last month's executions of three Roman Catholic militants, officials said.
National Police Chief Gen. Sutanto said he ordered an investigation into the death of Rev. Irianto Kongkoli, who was shot in the head while visiting a shop with his wife in Palu, the provincial capital of Central Sulawesi.
"We need to make sure such killings do not happen again," he told reporters in the capital Jakarta.
Central Sulawesi Police Chief, Badrudin Haiti, said the shooter, who used a revolver and a 9 mm bullet, sped off on a motorbike with an accomplice.
Indonesia is a secular nation but has the world's largest number of Muslims, with nearly 90 percent of its 220 million people practicing the faith. But Central Sulawesi province, which was the scene of wide-scale sectarian violence several years ago,has a large Christian population.
Tensions have risen since the Sept. 22 executions of three men convicted of leading a Christian militia that carried out a series of attacks in 2000, including a machete and gun assault on an Islamic school that left at least 70 dead.
Human rights groups have questioned the fairness of the trial, with some analysts suggesting that Indonesia bowed to pressurefrom hard-line Muslims in handing down the sentences.
Few Muslims were punished for their part in the unrest, which left 1,000 people of both faiths dead, and none to more than 15 years in jail.
Central Sulawesi Governor Bandjela Paliudju told reporters at the House of Representatives compound in Jakarta he believed the priest's death was linked to last month's executions. There have been several bomb blasts and attacks in recent weeks, with at least two people killed.
"He was an outspoken priest who many times led Christian protests against the executions," Paliudju said.

Reverend gunned down in cold blood in Palu

2006-10-16T20:01:00.000+07:00

Palu, C Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Reverend Irianto Kongkoli, secretary general of Central Sulawesi`s Christian church synod, was gunned down by an unidentified man here Monday morning, eyewitneses said. Eyewitnesses said Irianto, the reverend, was shot when he was about to buy building materials in Sinar Sakti shop on Monginsidi street in Palu subdistrict at 8:15 a.m. local time. "Suddenly a gunfire explosion was heard and the reverend collapsed with gunshot wound on his head" said a witness who spoke on the anonymity. The policemen from the Central Sulawesi district office and the Palu police precinct came to the site of the incident and cordoned of the place, the anonymous person said. Irianto and his wife were rushed to nearby Bala Keslamatan hospital on Wood Ward street, 500 meters away from the material building shop. Unfortunately, the reverend died afterwards. There was no official statement from the police but they directly searched for the perpetrators in Palu city.

A female reverend Susinati Tinulele, 29, was also gunned down when she was delivering a sermon on July 18, 2006. he died instantly after a number of masked gunmen burst into a church in Palu and shot at the Protestant reverend. Four teenage churchgoers were wounded in the shooting incident. Palu and Poso are among Central Sulawesi towns which are haunted by bloody sectarian killings for the past years.

When will the government stop the killing of Christians by Muslims? This is only going to lead to the conflict erupting all over again. It seems the only solution is to allow the Christian dominated areas to secede from Indonesia.

House commission holds closed-door meeting on Poso

2006-10-16T19:56:00.000+07:00

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The House of Representatives` Commission I for defence, information and foreign affairs on Monday held a closed-door meeting with a number of government officials to discuss latest developments in formerly conflict-torn Poso district. The meeting led by Commission I chairman Theo Sambuaga was attended by National Defence Forces (TNI) Chief Air Marshal Djoko Suyanto, National Police Chief General Sutanto, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo AS, Social Services Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah, Law and Human Rights Minister Hamid Awaluddin and State Intelligence Agency (BIN) Chief Syamsir Siregar.
A low-explosive bomb exploded in Poso town in the eastern Indonesian province of Central Sulawesi late last week but it claimed no casualty nor material damage. The bomb, planted under the fence of the Poso district head`s office on Jl. Pulau Sulawesi on Saturday night (Oct 14), exploded with a bang that could be heard within a radius of 1 km. Chief of the Poso Police Resort Adjunct Chief Commissioner Rudy Sufahriadi confirmed the incident saying the blast originated from a low explosive bomb.
"There was no report of human casualties or significant material damage due to the blast," he said. He said the incident was a form of terror committed by irresponsible persons with the ultimate aim of creating unstable conditions in the formerly conflict-torn Poso. The bomb terror is the seventh to occur in Poso in the past three weeks.Meanwhile, BIN Chief Syamsir Siregar said the media had exaggerated the incident in Poso district. "The press has exaggerated the situation in Poso," he said in Palu last Tuesday.

Homemade bomb explodes in Poso

2006-10-15T14:18:00.000+07:00

Palu (ANTARA News) - A home-made bomb has exploded in Indonesia's religiously-divided Poso district, where tension has been rising since three Christians were executed, police said Sunday. Police believe the blast, which took place at the Poso district office late Saturday, was caused by a home-made bomb packed in a plastic container, spokesman Muhammad Kilat was quoted by AFP as saying. He added that there were no casualties or damage, while ElShinta radio reported that there was no one in the office at the time of the explosion.The blast was the latest to hit Central Sulawesi after a home-made bomb exploded behind an empty house not far from Poso on October 8. Unrest in several Christian-dominated areas of Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, erupted following the executions last month. Clashes between people of the two faiths claimed about 1,000 lives each in Central Sulawesi in 2000 and 2001.

YouTube version of Persecuted Infidels in Indonesia

2006-10-14T22:49:00.000+07:00

I'll post this now seeing that it hasn't been banned yet by YouTube. If it does get banned, scroll down to the version stored on Flurl.com

Denmark will not apologize for new Muhammad cartoons

2006-10-14T22:27:00.000+07:00

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Danish government will not apologize to Muslim communities concerning the cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad in the country. According to Danish Ambassador, Niels Erik Andersen, Danish governmental and constitutional systems do not allow the government to apologize. Andersen explained that Danish people cannot collectively be responsible for an individual demeanor. The cartoon in August of this year was done by a private party and did not on touch public areas. “They did it for their own selves, not for a provocation,” said Andersen to Chairman of Muhammadiyah Din Syamsuddin at Muhammadiyah's office yesterday (10/12) in Jakarta. “We truly appreciate freedom of speech as well as democracy.”However, he assured that his government criticized cartoons by the youth of the Danish People's Party. His government has also asked that police investigate the case. In fact, Danish political figures threatened to break their relations with the party if it was not found accountable for the case.
“Their behavior does not absolutely reflect the attitude of the Danish people over Muslim devotees and the religion of Islam,” he said.Din stated that he was disappointed with Andersen's explanation. According to him, a moral responsibility should be given. In addition, the incidents have occurred twice this year in Denmark. They showed that half of the Danish people were not ready to appreciate tolerance and peaceful solidarity. “We're very sorry for the fact,” said Din.

Central Java step up security against terrorists

2006-10-14T00:36:00.000+07:00

Semarang, Central Java (ANTARA News) - Central Java police do not wish to be caught unaware and are therefore continuously stepping up measures in anticipation of possible terrorist acts during the upcoming Muslim post-fasting festivities, a spokesman said.

Senior Commissioner Sunardi, the Central Java Police`s chief of operations, said here Friday, "We will continue to take anticipatory measures. Everything is handled by the Criminal Investigation Directorate."

But he did not explain in detail the measures being taken in anticipation of possible terrorist acts, including the possibility that top terror operative Noordin Moh Top would enter and hide in Central Java. Noordin Moh Top is known to have once gone into hiding in Central Java and is still at large until now.

The steps the provincial police had taken in anticipation of terrorist acitivity, he said, was increasing alertness and security, especially in areas which had frequently become targets of terrorist acts during the past five years in Indonesia.

The police were taking the anticipatory measures because Central Java was known as one of several provinces where terrorists often hide or escape to, he said.

The August-December period was also believed to be one in which terrorists routinely carry out their actions as had happened in the past five years.

Bali sends world a message of peace

2006-10-13T13:15:00.000+07:00

Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

More than two thousands people of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds paid their respects to the 202 victims of the 2002 Bali bombings by observing 30-minutes of silence in Denpasar on Thursday night.
The climax of series of commemorations the event, "Love and Peace from Bali to the World" was held at the Bajra Sandhi Museum and Public Square and brought together families of the bombing victims, religious and community leaders, artists, students, officials and academics.
Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Catholics and Protestants also took part in a large interfaith prayer illuminated by thousands of candles.
"May the souls of the victims rest in peace. And may peace always be with us," Hindu High Priest Ratu Ida Pedanda Manuaba said in prayer.
In the background, a choir group chanted holy words, creating a somber atmosphere.
Addressing the event, Bali Governor Dewa Beratha praised religious leaders on the island for fostering peace, tolerance and brotherhood.
After the Oct. 12 bombing, people in Bali were afraid that ethnic or religious conflict would erupt between locals and migrants but the fears were groundless, he said.
"The terrorists failed to tear Bali apart and create ethnic conflicts like those that have occurred in other parts of Indonesia, including in Ambon (Maluku) and Poso in Sulawesi," Beratha said.
The Balinese are known for their tolerance of other ethnic groups and religions, he said.
This came from the Nyama Braya tradition, ideas that put an emphasis on strengthening friendship and rejecting acts of revenge.
The event was preceded by a march of hundreds of young students who laid down 1,400 meters of white cloth in the Pada Yatra Ngider Bhuwana ritual. The name of the Hindu rite, which literally means "encircling the earth", is meant to purify Bali's soil from devilish influences. The white cloth is later thrown into the sea in a symbolic casting out of evil.
"We hope the ceremony will again bring peace and purity to Bali and other parts of the world," A.A. Suryawan, chairman of the organizing committee, said.
Also showcased at the event was a performance of the sacred Rejang dance by pre-pubescent girls, another symbol of purity.
Earlier in the afternoon, people attended several activities at "Ground Zero", on Legian Street, the site of the worst attack.
The colorful commemoration saw a group of youngsters clad in glittering Balinese costumes and carrying colorful flowers -- roses, jasmine and gardenia. Hundreds of other people carried a large banner saying "Stop Violence and Terror. Bali is a Peaceful Place".
Meanwhile, the National Integration Movement led by spiritual leader Anand Khrisna charmed spectators with its melodious chants, transforming Kuta street into a "field of love".
Local poets Eka Budianta and Cok Sawitri also performed In The Face of a Fallen Leaf, a message of peace and friendship.
Robert H. Smith, a Dutch citizen, said Oct. 12 was a special time to remember the loss of a dearly loved one. "We lost our best friend here ... This is our fourth attendance."
The Smith family always brought letters and flowers from people in the Netherlands who wanted to remember the victims of the attacks and the people of Bali.
"Every time we come here, we can barely breathe. It is just too sad. But we have to keep on moving for the sake of humanity and never surrender to any terrorist threats."
The one-hour ceremony was closed by the Balinese Oleg Tambullilingan performance.

Indonesian terrorism rooted in ideology

2006-10-12T01:30:00.000+07:00

(AKI/Jakarta Post) - Indonesia's brand of terrorism is starkly different from that found in the Middle East and should be tackled using specifically targeted methods, according to a leading Indonesia psychologist and terror expert. Sarlito Wirawan Sarwono, chairman of the Asian Psychologists' Association (APA), said that while terrorism in the Middle East is rooted in nationalism, in Indonesia it has traditionally been based on ideology. His comments came ahead of the fourth anniversary of the deadly 12 October 2002 Bali nightclub bombings which killed 202 people, many of them foreign tourists. "The thing is that almost all terrorism theories are based on the results of research in the Middle East so it is understandable that many strategies, tactics and anti-terror technology applied in Indonesia have not been too effective," he said. Sarwono, also a terrorism expert at the University of Indonesia, said the families of Indonesian terrorists were mostly ashamed of their acts, unlike in the Middle East where such acts are often a source of pride. The predominantly Muslim nation has suffered from a slew of bloody attacks in recent years, including the 2002 Bali bombings, which left 202 people dead. Sarwono said a recent study showed that common concerns and appraisals of Jihad were two main factors that influenced young Muslims to join militant groups and launch terror attacks. The study was based on interviews with death-row Bali bombers Imam Samudra, Amrozi, Ali Gufron and Ali Imron, he added. "They share common concerns on goals, values, responsibilities and pride and they accept the meaning and consequences of their terror acts. "What is in their mind is that extreme ideology and rigid faith make them firm and prepared to use violence in the name of religion with the promise of pretty angels in heaven if they are killed," Sarwono said. Nasir Abas, a former regional commander of the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) regional terror network who has since joined efforts to fight terrorism, said Indonesian terrorists specifically targeted civilians, in contrast to their Middle Eastern counterparts. "They launch their actions against non-military members, unarmed people and not while in a condition of war," Abas said, adding that JI leaders were among the most dangerous militants. Sarwono described these leaders as "psychopaths", able to manipulate people into becoming suicide bombers - even when technology allows bombings to be carried out without them. "The suicide bombers are there as just a sensational (factor). The fact that there is a suicide bomber gives an attack a higher profile," Sarwono said. Abas said he believes key JI leader Noordin M. Top, who remains on the run, continues to recruit members as new jihadists in Indonesia. The former militant, who was arrested in 2003 in Bekasi, West Java, said JI was established in 1993 to defend Islam against non-Muslim enemies. "We were recruited not to carry out suicide attacks but to wage Jihad against countries and any non-Muslim groups who invaded Muslim countries. We were taught about certain extreme Islamic teachings to have us possess strong and rigid faith and trained to use violence to defend our religion," he told The Jakarta Post. Abas, born in Singapore in 1969 and now living in Malaysia with his wife and four children, said he knew nothing about Asia's alleged JI operative Omar al-Farouq, who was handed over by Indonesian intelligence officers to the United States. He was reported killed in a recent attack in Iraq. "If you want to know about him, ask his wife and his close relatives here. But, I know Amrozi, Imam Samudra, Igbal and others involved in the 2002 Bali blasts because they were my younger classmates when we were in Afghanistan (between 1987 and 1993)," he said.

Indonesia makes progress against terrorism but threat remains

2006-10-12T01:23:00.000+07:00

(VOA News) The threat of terrorist attacks is still alive in Indonesia. Security experts and the nation's top anti-terror official agree progress is being made against Southeast Asia's most dangerous terrorist organization, Jemaah Islamiyah.
Jemaah Islamiyah has carried out a terrorist attack in Indonesia annually since 2002, when the group staged a double bombing on the island of Bali that killed 202 people.
Since then, J.I., as it is known, has been blamed for a series of bombings in Indonesia and the Philippines, including the 2003 suicide bombing of the Marriot Hotel in Jakarta, the 2004 bombing outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, and more attacks in Bali in October 2005.
Jemaah Islamiyah, which has been linked to the al-Qaida terrorist organization, is the largest terror group operating in the region. It has been active in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore, and its stated aim is to create an Islamic state spanning the southern tier of Southeast Asian nations.
The Indonesian police have arrested more than 300 Muslim militants since the first Bali bombing, prosecuting and jailing most of them. Several of these men are now on death row.
But despite those arrests, and the death last year of J.I. leader Azahari bin Hussein in a shoot-out with police in Central Java, security experts and the government say the threat of another attack is still very real. Among other reasons, Noordin Top, another J.I. leader and one of Southeast Asia's most wanted terrorists, is still at large.
Sidney Jones, director of the International Crisis Group's office in Indonesia, and an expert on Jemaah Islamiyah, says the organization is weakened and splintered, but not defeated.
"I think we are seeing a regeneration of the mainstream Jemaah Islamiyah. Not so much with the idea of bombing Western targets in mind, but with the idea of reviving and reconsolidating this as an organization," she said. "I think we are dealing with a very resilient organization."
Jones says it is not clear what the group's new objectives or strategy might be.
"There is a large focus on the need for military preparation, even within this group that's not concerned with bombing," she said. "And the question is, what are the objectives and what is this organization going to do with the military training or preparations that they get?"
Major General Ansyaad Mbai, Indonesia's top anti-terror official, also says the government has made a lot of progress against terrorism, but he says law enforcement alone will not end the threat.
"Because terrorism is a politically and ideologically motivated movement, therefore, counter-terrorism cannot count on raw force or hard power to suppress its development," he said. "Our experience therefore shows that the arrest, detention, trials, including death sentences, even military operations, do nothing to stop terrorism."
Instead, Ansyaad says, the government has started a program to educate the public, in part through television, in the hope of undermining Jemaah Islamiyah's efforts to recruit new members.
He says the program targets individuals in what he calls the "radical movement" who have denounced violence and are willing to work with the government.
Other efforts involve television programs run by moderate Islamic clerics who urge the faithful to follow Islam in a peaceful manner.
At least one former militant says Jemaah Islamiyah's chances of recruiting large numbers of people have already been doomed by the group's own actions.
Nasir Abbas, a former J.I. leader, is the brother-in-law of Muklas, one of the masterminds of the 2002 Bali bombing. Nasir trained in Afghanistan, and established a militant training camp in the southern Philippines.
He says he opposed the plan to carry out the first Bali attack, because he believes it is unacceptable to kill innocent civilians.
After he was arrested in Indonesia in 2003, Nasir says he decided to cooperate with the government in its fight against J.I.
"What they did is killing the civilians, killing unarmed people, killing non-military people," he said. "This is something I can say that is not war, that is not battle, that is not jihad, but that is a mass kill, a mass killing operation. They ruin the movement of Jemaah Islamiyah."
Indonesia is a secular, democratic nation with the world's largest Muslim population. Most people practice a moderate form of Islam. As a result, Nasir thinks the killing of innocent people - Jemaah Islamiyah's primary activity - has destroyed any chance of the group gaining mass support among the public.

Police tighten Bali security ahead of anniversary

2006-10-11T20:24:00.000+07:00

DENPASAR (AP): Police tightened security Wednesday at airports, seaports and beaches on Indonesia's resort island of Bali ahead of the fourth anniversary of al-Qaida-linked car bombings on two nightclubs that killed 202 people, mostly foreigners.
Indonesia has been hit by a series of annual attacks since the 2002 bombing, blamed on the Southeast Asian terrorism group Jemaah Islamiyah.
Tourists and family members were to gather on the beach Thursday to remember those killed in the attack and unfurl a 12 kilometer-long (7.5 mile-long) white cloth between the two bombing sites.
The most recent Bali attack was a triple suicide bombing in September 2005, which killed 20 people at restaurants.
Bali police planned to deploy their entire 11,500-member force, including elite anti-terrorism squad and plainclothes policemen to secure this year's commemorations, said Col. Antonius Reniban.
"We are tightening security at all entry points into Bali," said Reniban, a spokesman for the island's police force. "We would not hesitate to take harsh measures against any kind of threat."
Indonesia, which has more Muslims than any other nation, has arrested or convicted more than 300 militants in recent years.

Yes, only 300 militants while thousands and thousands are still free across Indonesia, mostly in Java and hiding in Papua.

Christians don't expect eye for an eye in Indonesia

2006-10-11T19:50:00.000+07:00

After three of their own are executed, members of the minority group are skeptical about the fate of three similarly condemned Muslims.

By John M. Glionna, Times Staff Writer

DENPASAR, Indonesia — Maringan Simanjuntak wipes his brow in Bali's equatorial heat and talks in measured words about the fear and frustration of being Christian in the world's most populous Muslim nation. Last month, Indonesia executed three Christians for inciting a mob that killed scores of Muslims six years ago in Central Sulawesi province. The executions led to widespread Christian violence across the area, where religious tensions have simmered for years. Now Simanjuntak and the rest of the nation anxiously await another execution. This time, three Islamic militants face death by firing squad for their roles in the 2002 Bali bombing that killed 202 people here in a crowded tourist bar.The 46-year-old tour guide wants an eye for an eye. But he doesn't expect to see the Bali bombers die: The Muslim-led government, he insists, takes care of its own. "This country is a Muslim majority, and Christians are not offered the same protections under the laws," Simanjuntak said resignedly. The executions have fueled new accusations of religious intolerance in this sprawling archipelago nation where 190 million of the 220 million residents are Muslims, compared with 20 million Christians. Many believe judges at the Christians' trial bowed to pressure from hard-line Muslims to send the three farm laborers to their deaths. "They were not just scapegoats, they were the 'offering,' " said a lawyer for the three, who goes by the single name Brodus. "This is discrimination."Despite government denials, many believe the timing of the Christian executions is linked to the fate of the three Bali bombers, who sit on Indonesia's death row. "I miss my father. But what can we do?" said Robert Tibo, whose 60-year-old dad, Fabianus, was one of those executed in Sulawesi. "We cannot fight the government. But it seemed officials were trying to pave the way for the Bali bombers' execution. They wanted to make it even between my father and the other Christians and the Muslims. "Ill will still lingers in Sulawesi in the wake of Muslim-Christian violence that swept the province between 1998 and 2002. Bombings, beheadings and machete attacks killed more than 1,000 people from both religious communities before the violence was brought to an end by an uneasy peace accord. "For many Christians, there is a question of balance," Sidney Jones, senior project director for the International Crisis Group, a private think tank, said of the government's prosecutions. Muslims convicted in Sulawesi were given at most 15-year prison sentences, she added. The result, Jones said, is that "there is this strong sense among non-Muslim minorities that they may not have a place in Indonesia. "Even in Bali, Indonesia's religious violence has left its lethal mark. October usually means tourism, but the palm-shaded beachside bars and hotels stand mostly empty. Bali's two terrorist attacks — the 2002 bombing and suicide blasts last year that killed 20 people — each took place in October. Law enforcement officials now refer to the month as "trouble season" and warn that another attack by Islamic extremists could incite violence with Bali's 3 million Hindus, who outnumber Christians and Muslims there. At Kuta Beach, a granite relief monument bearing the names of the victims stands at the site of the 2002 bombing, a place known to residents as Bali's ground zero. Across the street, camera store employee Nyoman Puana says the bombers robbed residents of their livelihoods. Bali's economy depends on tourism for more than half of its income and jobs. "The bombs crushed tourism all the way to the bottom," said Puana, 41. "People want to see justice take its course. "Many Indonesians say that the fear of sectarian violence has come only in recent years. For three decades, former dictator Suharto kept the nation's simmering religious and ethnic rivalries at bay. But after his fall in 1998, distrust boiled over in Sulawesi, where Muslims and Christians live in roughly even numbers. Unrest broke out in the city of Poso after a rumor among Christians spread that Muslims had tried to ban alcohol consumption. The conflict soon spread to the countryside as Muslim and Christian mobs armed with homemade guns, spears and machetes waged attacks that included the beheadings of three Christian schoolgirls. Eventually, militants from both sides were brought to trial.The Christians, known as the Poso Three, were found guilty of several attacks, including a machete and gun assault on an Islamic school that left at least 70 dead. Many Christians still seethe over the events leading up to the Sept. 22 executions. The men's final wishes — from sending a last message to the president to having their relatives and spiritual advisors accompany them to the execution site — were rejected by Indonesian officials. Shortly after 1 a.m., the three were led to the airport grounds near their Sulawesi prison and shot. The bodies of two men were sent home for burial. But the third man, Dominggus da Silva, was interred in a nearby cemetery, without what the family considered a proper ritual. A day later, Silva's corpse was exhumed by a mob of Christians. "They found the body, they cleaned it up, and they sent it home," Brodus said. Then a procession led by Silva's family delivered the empty casket and the dead man's burial suit to nearby government offices, dumping both outside when officials did not emerge to claim them. "The family did not want to receive anything from the government," Brodus said. "They gave everything back. "After the execution, Christian violence erupted in Sulawesi: A mob torched a police station and hurled rocks at a police helicopter. Twenty men wearing black masks (Muslims) blocked a road in Poso, forcing five passengers off a bus and stabbing one (Christian). Bali has so far been spared violence, but emotions still run high. One priest said he sympathized with the Christian violence in Sulawesi. "If you were there, you would understand," said Hubert Hady Setiawan. "Perhaps people did not act reasonably, but they saw an injustice. We on the outside have to accept the violence — eye for eye, tooth for tooth. "A member of a local mosque called the Sulawesi violence the work of paid provocateurs. But he called for a stop to all Muslim violence. "Not all Muslims are good," said the member, a local artist named Suliaman. "I travel throughout Indonesia, and most of the mosques I visit are empty. People need to return to the teachings of Islam and reject violence. "In the meantime, Maringan Simanjuntak waits for Indonesia's next round of executions. He says the 2002 Bali bombers have confessed to their crimes and say they want to die. "So I say give them their wish," he said. "They stole the last breaths of 202 people. They deserve to be punished. They deserve to die."

Yudhoyono's appeal is a joke

2006-10-10T22:47:00.000+07:00

The appeal was made to all Muslims living in the country. The anti-terrorism chief has warned that the fundamentalist threat is real and present.

Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Indonesia's president today called on Muslims in the country “to respect the law and not use intimidation and violence”. The appeal came amid a spiral of violence carried out in the name of the faith in the world's most populous Islamic nation.

In recent years, Indonesia has been hit by a series of bloody bombings by Jemaah Islamiyah, the local arm of al-Qaeda that has struck “western” targets like churches and embassies.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been harshly criticized for failing to speak out clearly against the violence sweeping away Indonesia’s traditions of religious tolerance and moderation.

His appeal was made more urgent by the statement of one leader of the national army, General Ansyaad Mbai, who said today: “Those responsible for the latest attacks against the nation remain a threat, despite the recent arrest of more than 300 members.”

The soldier, head of the anti-terrorism services, said during a meeting with the media and Jakarta’s diplomatic corps that “stopping some extremist leaders does not mean we have defeated terrorism. The threat is real and present”.

Indonesia has more than 220 million residents; around 80% are Muslims but Islam is less radical here than it is in the Middle East. The United States and other western nations continue to support the local government, seen as a border stronghold against terrorism.

Where's the denouncement of Laskar Jihad, Abu Bakr Ba'asyir's MMI, FPI (Islamic Defender's Front) and other terrorist paramilitary like that? This is just lip service. The Indonesian army trains with Laskar Jihad in Papua and previously worked with them in the past in Poso and Maluku. The police were also involved with militants in the killing of Christians in Poso and Maluku. When will the lies stop about Indonesia's religious tolerance? The government turned a blind eye to those conflicts. Some government politicians and certain Islamic political parties like the United Development Party (PPP), Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), and the Star and Crescent Party(PBB) continue to support militants. Former vice-president Hamzah Haz visited convicted criminal and leader of the Laskar Jihad, Jafar Umar Thalib, while he was in jail.

Yudhoyono recently had the opportunity to halt the execution of three Christian men who didn't get a fair trial and he let the men be executed. Islamic militants continue to hijack trials involving non-Muslims and impose their will by threats of violence against the defendants and the judges. When is the government going to stop this? Yudhoyono should continue to be criticized by the international community until Indonesia corrects its behavior and guarantees tolerance for all. Until then, it should drop the use of calling itself a secular nation and use Islamic republic, which is how it acts.

Bali preparing for 2002 bombing anniversary

2006-10-10T00:03:00.000+07:00

Denpasar (ANTARA News) - The Balinese are preparing an event in Kuta to observe the anniversary of the first Bali bombings in the beach resort on October 12, 2002.

"The event will be highlighted with a reflection speech by Gde Parma and a vigil," the chief of the Kuta Community Empowerment Institute, Alit Ardana, said here on Monday.

The "Pusaka" Anti-Violence Movement from Jakarta in cooperation with the Bali Journalists Society meanwhile plan to put up a 12-kilometer long and 90 centimer wide white banner along the road from Banjar Sandhi to Ground Zero to symbolize purity of the heart in fighting for peace across the world to prevent the recurrence of terrorism especially in Bali and in other parts of the country.

Around 600 people will conduct a march for peace in Kuta. A statement for peace will be read by representatives from Bali, Indonesia and the world.

The chairman of the Bali Journalists Society, Ida Bagus Anom Putra, said "it was time for newsmen to give a significant contribution especially in the fight against terrorism."

Police arrest 14 Christians over killings

2006-10-09T16:54:00.000+07:00

JAKARTA (AP): Police arrested 14 Christians accused of bludgeoning two Muslim men to death amid anger at the execution of three Roman Catholic militants on Sulawesi Island last month, a police officer said Monday.
The fish salesmen were killed at an illegal roadblock on the island's main highway and their bodies were buried in a shallow grave nearby, said Central Sulawesi Police Chief Brig. Gen. Badrudin Haiti.
The Sept. 22 executions of the three militants for their role in violence against Muslims in sectarian violence in 2000 triggered riots among Christians. Rights groups have raised questions over the fairness of the trial.
The roadblock was one of several set up by Christian youth on the island following the executions.
However, Haiti denied that the Sept. 22 murders had anything to do with the executions, saying the two Muslims were killed because they failed to slow down at the checkpoint.
Police officials on Sulawesi routinely deny killings or bombings specifically targeting Muslims or Christians are religiously motivated, out of a fear that doing so may trigger more violence.
The arrests took place over the weekend, Haiti said, adding the men would be soon be charged with murder.
More than 1,000 people of both faiths died in four years of sectarian fighting on Sulawesi that ended in 2002 with a government-sponsored peace deal. The three Christians were found guilty of leading an attack on a Muslim boarding school that killed at least 70 people.

Persecuted Infidels in Indonesia - Back up

2006-10-09T02:18:00.000+07:00

Just in case You Tube pulls the original for whatever reason like jihadis flagging it here it is on Flurl. It should pop up in a new window