JAKARTA (JP): Fresh violence broke out in riot-torn Poso,
Central Sulawesi, in the early hours of Tuesday, killing five
people, injuring two and razing hundreds of houses to the ground.
Central Sulawesi Police headquarters chief Brig. Gen. Zainal
Abidin Ishak said that the violence broke out when armed men
launched shooting sprees in Sepe, Silanca and Bau Gencu villages.
Zainal said that the police had dispatched 3,100 personnel to
reinforce the 104 existing security posts and to restore
order.However, the police still needed an additional one battalion
of soldiers and two platoons of police.
The violence took place just a few hours afterrepresentatives
from both the Christian and Muslim communities met for a second
round of peace talks mediated by Coordinating Minister for
People's Welfare Yusuf Kalla in Palu, the capital of Central
Sulawesi.
