Police grill Poso suspects about arms, explosives
Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Palu, 26 Jan 2007

The Central Sulawesi Police are questioning 26 civilians arrested for the illegal possession of firearms and explosives following Monday's bloody clash between officers and suspected Muslim militants in which 14 people died.
Central Sulawesi Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Muhammad Kilat said the suspects were arrested during a crackdown on militants in Gebang Rejo district, Poso.
"Out of the 26 people, two are those on (the police wanted) list. They are Tugirom, alias Iron, and Wiwin," he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Monday's shoot-out with militants has been criticized by many who have accused the police of acting aggressively. One officer died in the violence, along with 13 civilians, when the militants retaliated with firearms and bombs.
Police have defended their tactics, saying they were unable to arrest wanted militants after months of trying a persuasive approach.
The suspects' lawyer from the Central Sulawesi Muslim Defense Team, Asluddin Hatjani, said several of the arrested civilians were innocent bystanders, who were being unlawfully detained by the police. Police had arrested the men and later forced confessions from them, he said.
"During the arrest, the police handed handmade weapons to several of them and took their pictures to make it seem as if they possessed the weapons. All this was engineered," Asluddin said.
The lawyer's statement was supported by a witness to the arrests.
The man, who asked not to be named, was arrested along with five other men but later released after a policeman who knew him convinced other officers he was not involved.
"I was released, but I don't know the fate of my friends," he said. The man said he and his friends were scavengers who collected used bottles and scrap iron.
Asked about the witness' statement, Muhammad Kilat said he could not comment until the police interrogations were finished.
Meanwhile, calm was slowly returning to the town of Poso on Thursday, although the police presence in the area remained high.
Officers are searching vehicles at checkpoints throughout the city and have been deployed in force to the mainly Christian suburb of Tentana.
"I opened my stall again two days ago," Anwar, who sells plastic flowers in the main market, told AFP on Thursday.
He said business had been slow but had recently improved.
He hoped peace and security would return to the town.
However, many houses in the town lay eerily quiet, abandoned by spooked residents, and Cokroaminoto kindergarten, in the Tanah Runtuh neighborhood where the violence occurred, remains closed.
"We had to give the children a holiday because we are worried for them," headmistress Sumarti told AFP.
She said the children were at school during Monday's police raid. They lay on the floor for hours as the sound of gunshots rang around the class.
"We will try to reopen the school on Saturday," she said.