Terror Perpetrators in Poso Increasingly Aggressive

Palu, Central Sulawesi (Antara) - Presidium Chairman of the Indonesia Police Watch (IPW) Neta S Pane said the perpetrators of terror acts in Poso, Central Sulawesi, had become more and more aggressive as reflected in the suicide bombing incident Monday. Neta said in his written statement made available here Monday that police's repressive actions turned out to be responded to by the public (radicals) with desperate acts. He said that repressive police actions in coping with (terror) problems, turned out to have created grudge among certain segment of the people against security officers. On December 29, 2012, for example, five of the 15 terror suspects who were released by the police suffered from bruising as a result of abuse during their seven-day questioning following the shooting incident of a member of the Mobile Brigade of the Central Sulawesi Regional Police. Besides, there were still provocations by radical groups in Poso that inspired armed groups to become increasingly emboldened and were desperate in spreading terrors. "This is proven with the fact that several police members were abducted and murdered," he said. Neta also suspected that the number of armed civilians in the region was increasing. He said that the IPW was saddened over the suicide bombing incident at the Poso Police Headquarters which killed the perpetrator. The IPW presidium chairman said that the incident could be seen from two aspects, namely the short-term and long-term aspects. (*)