Several violent incidents reported in July in the Poso region of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, have again marred hopes of peace.
On July 10, a Torajan Christian man was shot dead while working on his plantation. Villagers from neighboring Sa’atu and Pinedapa heard the gunshot in the late afternoon and found 32-year-old Julius Ledo Pamini shot in the chest and lying face down in his field.
Not trusting the Poso authorities to investigate the crime fairly, the family took his body to Toraja for autopsy.
On the same day, unknown assailants detonated a bomb at a Christian-owned restaurant in Kawua, severely injuring four people and destroying the restaurant. Restaurant owner Mrs. Tini Alimin and her son Grafel were taken to the hospital along with two male customers. Both men, a Christian and a Muslim, lost limbs in the blast.
In a third incident the following day, a Christian policeman who had supported Rinaldy Damanik in his work among refugee families was shot and severely injured while riding his motorcycle. A school teacher who had accepted a ride on the motorcycle with Sergeant Petrian Malenge as he was returning to his home in Lembomao village escaped the shooting with cuts and bruises.
Share with others: