APSN | Military restores security, order in restive Poso

Home > South-East Asia >> Indonesia

Military restores security, order in restive Poso

Jakarta Post - April 17, 2015

TNI to establish anti-terror force – Jakarta Post. April 15, 2015
Kontras demands TNI transparency – Jakarta Post. April 11, 2015
TNI to play role in curbing radicalism – Jakarta Post. April 10, 2015
Military warns of terrorist threat – Jakarta Post. April 8, 2015
TNI agrees to secure country's prisons – Jakarta Post. April 4, 2015

Jakarta – The war game that involved thousands of personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force has concluded in Poso, Central Sulawesi on Friday with the stationing of 600 personnel from the Army's Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) to maintain the restored security and order in the regency.

"The joint exercise ended today, but 600 Kostrad personnel will be stationed to help support the territorial education operation conducted by the Wirabuana Military Command," Chief of Kostrad's Division II Maj. Gen. Bambang Haryanto said during the exercise's closing ceremony in Poso on Friday.

He said the deployment of 600 Kostrad personnel in Poso was conducted at the request of local people who had feared to do their daily activities outside their homes because of security disturbances launched terrorist group led by Santoso.

"During our meeting with local officials, religious leaders and students, the military was asked to extend the exercise and station a great number of personnel to restore security and public order in the regency," he said, adding most locals were fearing the return of the dispersed terrorists to the regency.

Bambang who expressed his satisfaction with the exercise, said the three-week operation achieved its secondary objective of restoring security and order by quelling the Santoso-led terrorist group.

"No terrorists have been found in the regency and the jungle and the exercise was staged to restore security and public order and to create a safe feeling among locals," he said.

The joint exercise had a dual purpose: to train the three branches of the Military to work together and to suppress the Santoso-led terrorist group that has been held responsible for a recent bloody attack on a police office and several churches and for the killing of several farmers who were working their land.

The chief of the Wirabuana Military Command overseeing Sulawesi, Maj. Gen. Bachtiar, said his outfit would launch the territorial education operation to maintain the military's presence in the regency.

"There will be no war games, but we will carry out a civic work program to repair infrastructure such as roads, bridges, mosques and churches in the regency," he said as quoted by kompas.com. (rms)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/04/17/military-restores-security-order-restive-poso.html.