Post-conflict Poso looks to cash in on tourism
Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Palu, September 24, 2007

After the area was rocked by sectarian conflict, the administration of Poso regency in Central Sulawesi has decided to turn to the tourism sector as one of the main drivers of development so as to boost its economy and restore its image.
Poso Regent Piet Inkiriwang said his administration would put the program to revitalize the tourism sector at the head of its list of priorities.
He said Poso, which was rocked by bloody sectarian conflict from 1998 to 2001, was once regarded as the province's best tourist destination.
He believed that the regency could capitalize more on its tourism potential compared to other regions in Central Sulawesi.
The administration, he said, planned to revive the Poso Lake Festival, which was previously held every year, but has been discontinued since the outbreak of the conflict.
He said the administration would also promote many other tourism attractions in the regency, such as the Black Orchid Forest in Bancea.
"Each of the tourism attractions has their own special quality and were favorite tourist destinations before the conflict," Piet said.
He said Poso was no longer a conflict area as the Muslim and Christian community had reconciled their differences while terror threats were things of the past.
"Poso people now live in peace. They are working together to rebuild Poso and resurrect its glorious past," Piet said.
One of its main tourist destinations is the 5,000-hectare Black Orchid Forest in Bancea.
The forest is home to various species of orchid, especially the black orchid, and is full of pine trees, providing picture-postcard vistas.
The forest encompasses the high altitude Lake Poso, which is situated in Tentena, capital of North Pamona district. Visitors must take a boat trip and travel another 40 km to reach the area.
The lake, which is said to be the third largest in the country, is strategically located as it lies along the Trans-Sulawesi highway, which stretches from Tana Toraja in South Sulawesi, through Poso and Gorontalo province, and up to Manado in North Sulawesi.
The lake is 32 km long from north to south, and is 16 km wide. It reaches a depth of 510 meters and is situated at an elevation of 657 meters above sea level.
Its waters are crystal clear with white sandy beaches, and it is rich in fish. It also has a number of restaurants and hotels on its banks ready to serve the area's specialty dishes to visitors.
A cave called Goa Pamona can also be found on the lakeside, is situated around 63 km from Poso. It can be accessed by both motorcycle and car.
There are human remains and skulls in the cave. According to history, the cave is where the Pamona tribe kept human remains hundreds of years ago.
"Uniquely, the water from the lake doesn't enter the cave despite the fact that it penetrates right down to the base of the lake," said Inkiriwang.
Another cave, called Goa Tangkaboba, is also an attraction.
Located in Sangele subdistrict, the cave was also used to house the remains of rulers, nobility and their kin, as evident from an ancient coffin placed at the cave's mouth.
The Poso regency administration is also promoting the 12-tier Soluopa waterfalls as a tourist attraction.
Located some 12 km west of Tentena, the waterfalls can be reached by car or bike, followed by a walk of 500 meters.
"There are many interesting places to visit. We would like to invite everyone, both local and foreign visitors, to visit Poso," Piet said.
"Don't be afraid. Poso is very safe, and we can assure you of that."

Komentar 17 Sept 2007
Jelang perayaan keagamaan
Kapolda Minta Sulut Waspadai DPO Poso

Menjelang hari raya keaga-maan, gerak-gerik teroris terus dilacak aparat kepoli-sian. Dicurigai, momen hari raya keagamaan di daerah ini, bakal disusupi enam teroris yang kini menjadi Daftar Pencarian Orang (DPO) Poso, Sulawesi Tengah. Hal ini di-sampaikan Kapolda Brigjen Pol Drs Jacky Uly. Kapolda pun me-warning warga Sulut dan semua pihak terkait untuk tetap mewaspa-dai ancaman teroris tersebut. Pasalnya, sampai saat ini, pi-haknya belum bisa menemu-kan secara pasti ke mana lari-nya enam DPO Poso tersebut. Yakni Nanto alias Bojel (26), Iin alias Brur (28), Taufik Bu-raga alias Upik (29), Iwan Asa-pa akuas Ake (25), Hamdara Tamil alias Papa Isran alias Papa Yus alias Man Labuan (40), serta Enal alias Ta’o (28).“Saya mengimbau seluruh masyarakat di Sulut juga pihak yang terkait untuk te-tap mewaspadai kemungkin-an menyusupnya sejumlah DPO Poso yang sedang mela-rikan diri. Ini untuk mengan-tisipasi kemungkinan ancam-an teroris yang dari para DPO tersebut,” ungkapnya. Diakui kapolda, sampai dengan saat ini belum ada laporan resmi dari hasil pengawasan dan peng-amanan di lapangan yang menyebutkan Sulut telah disusupi sejumlah DPO Poso tersebut. Namun demikian kewaspadaan terhadap ancam-an ini tetap saja dilakukan.“Memang harus diakui sam-pai sekarang belum ada la-poran yang menyebutkan bahwa sejumlah DPO Poso be-lum berada di Sulut. Infor-masi bahwa para DPO Poso melarikan diri ke daerah lain di luar Sulut. Namun bukan berarti tidak akan sama sekali. Kemungkinan untuk itu sangat terbuka sehingga kewaspadaan harus selalu dibangun. Karena jika kita lengah di situlah kita diman-faatkan,” tegasnya.Apalagi, saat ini umat Mus-lim sedang memasuki dan menjalani bulan suci Rama-dhan. Keamanan dan kenya-manan merupakan kebutuh-an mutlak yang harus tercipta selama setiap hari raya ke-agamaannya, termasuk di bulan puasa ini dan itu men-jadi tanggung jawab semua pihak. “Semua kita tak terke-cuali, dipanggil untuk menja-ga dan mengawal daerah kita ini dari ancaman DPO Poso tersebut,” ajaknya.Kapolda pun mengakui bah-wa sampai dengan saat ini pengamanan di sejumlah lo-kasi penting dan strategis yang diduga menjadi jalur ke luar masuk para DPO Poso tetap dijalankan Polda Sulut. “Diharapkan masyarakat tu-rut membantu kinerja polisi demi terciptanya keamanan dan ketenteraman di daerah ini. Jika mengetahui ada tamu atau orang asing yang mencurigakan segeralah melapor ke pihak kepolisian,” tandasnya.Diketahui, beberapa waktu lalu Polda Sulut mendapatkan informasi dari Polda Sulawesi Tengah bahwa 6 DPO Poso yang diduga merupakan ke-lompok teroris dan yang men-jadi target operasi Polda Sul-teng saat ini tengah melarikan diri ke daerah lain di Indo-nesia.(imo)