Sadness in Sulawesi

[Zoo Schabow]

Originally posted by IvanClaytonJnr:
I think this post should be in " free Your Mind " category

That's uncalled for.

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"And I can feel the cold steel. And I can make a wound that won't heal."- Bono

 

[raincloud]

 

[Zoo Schabow]

BTW, my prayers are with you sula.

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"And I can feel the cold steel. And I can make a wound that won't heal."- Bono

 

[BabyGrace]

..

 

[tiny dancer]

So sorry to hear the sad news Sula. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your country.

 

[christiana]

 

[Angela Harlem]

[No message]

 

[~LadyLemon~]

This is awful...

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"When you've seen beyond yourself then you may see peace of mind is waiting there
And the time will come when you see we're all one
And life flows on within you and without you"


Peace George

 

[jinn77]

Originally posted by U2Bama:
East Timor finally gets independence, and now another Indonesian minority has to confront hatred.

Excuse my language, but what in the hell do these "Muslim fighters/militiamen" want? Do they want the Christian villagers to convert? Why can't they just coexist and celebrate diversity?

At least the Indonesian government is attempting to stabilize it; I hope it works.

~U2Alabama

Bama your full of shit. There is violence on both sides & the Anti-Muslim stance you share with others in this forum makes me wonder if i have to totally re-evaluate my opinion that all U2 fans are intelligent people with an informed & balanced view of the world. Go read some books or something. And no Bama, I'm not Muslim.

 

[sulawesigirl4]

Peace, jinn77. He asked a valid question. This isn't a so much a situation where peaceful villagers of different faiths suddenly decide they hate each other and start killing. It's been more a case of instigated violence against Christians by Islamic militant groups from the outside seeking to destabilize the country. And of course the people that they attack are going to seek to defend themselves. It hurts everyone involved of both faiths because it promotes division and hate rather than civility and tolerance. In any case, there is no call for personal insults, and I'd appreciate it if we could keep this thread clean of them.

Gina, I'm more than pleased to share pictures of Sulawesi, but unfortunately most of mine are in photo albums and not online. Here are a few that I do have of my home.

-sula

 

[Gina Marie]

Thanks so much for posting those.

It's absolutely beautiful.

I will have to try to find some more info and pictures online.

 

[U2Bama]

Sulawesigirl:

Thank you very much for coming to my defense. And to you, I apologize for posting something in this thread that drew a terse response from someone else. My frustration with the situation got to me, and I used emotion in asking what I asked. I should have followed the spirit of everyone else and offered a prayerful response.

jinn77:

Mine is not an "anti-Muslim stance;" this kind of thing does not take place in majority Muslim nations such as Jordan or Turkey, but if I were "anti-muslim" as you claim, I would direct my anger towards them as well. And though I will not make claims of my intelligence, I ask you to go read any of my posts in "Free Your Mind" if you do not think I have an "informed & balanced view of the world." Better yet, why don't you start a thread in Free Your Mind where you and I can discuss the issues, because it is not appropriate in Sulawesigirl's peaceful thread.

~U2Alabama

[This message has been edited by U2Bama (edited 12-04-2001).]

 

[sulawesigirl4]

quite alright Bama. I understood your question. Actually, would you mind dropping me an email? There's a few things I'd like to ask you about.

 

[sulawesigirl4]

I can't believe the news today....I can't close my eyes and make it go away...

Information I received today from contacts within the country:

The Christians of the Poso regency of Central Sulawesi continue to be under attack from Muslim jihad warriors (Laskar Jihad). The number of jihad warriors continues to increase. Nine hundred arrived on Wednesday, 28 November 2001 and a thousand according to police reports arrived the previous week. These men are being equipped with automatic rifles, bombs and are using trucks including gasoline tanker trucks to attack and burn and destroy Christian villages. The Christian youth are attempting to defend their homeland with handmade weapons (rifles, bow and arrows, etc.).

The Muslims have advanced at close as 15 miles to Tentena the last large Christian town. Jeff Hammond who visited the area last week writes, "63,000 Christians are now trapped in the Tentena area and are waiting for the slaughter to begin."

I am getting first hand reports from the Crisis Center in Tentena. The entire Christian community of Tentena has jointly written an appeal to the UN for intervention. They are appealing for international intervention because the Indonesian government has failed to provide protection for them. They feel helpless as thousands flee their homes and watch their homes, schools and churches burned to the ground.

I spoke with the American ambassador Friday afternoon. Friends and I shared the desperate situation of the Christians. We asked the ambassador to put formal and informal pressure upon the Indonesian government to protect the Christians of Central Sulawesi. I told the ambassador that we have proof of Afghan and Pakistan men training the Muslim warriors. He asked for a copy of the proof. I had already sent it to the embassy. He is very concerned about the Laskar Jihad.

I have contacted the Dutch and Australian embassies and CNN and LA Times. The LA Times reporter asked for proof of the Afghan and Pakistan terrorists operating in Central Sulawesi. I sent him a copy of an internal police report. The police officer who made the report is coming to Jakarta tomorrow. We are hoping that he will be interviewed by the news media.

The September 11th attacks frightened Americans. Think about the fear in the hearts of the people of the villages of Betelemba, Tangkura, Dewua, Singginora, Sepe Silanca, Pandiri and others whose homes were attacked this week by terrorists and destroyed. In America we had the reassurance that the police, FBI, CIA, and military were doing all within their power to protect Americans. US fighter jets flew over the cities of America to provide protection. The Christians of Poso have seen the police and military flee into the forest as villages are attacked. They are getting no protection. The police who are station in the Tentena area are afraid for their lives. They have three rifles to defend against thousands of armed men with automatic rifles.

...

The following Saturday news story in The Jakarta Post tells a more
accurate story of what is happening.

May the Lord bless you.
Charles W Cole
Jakarta, Indonesia


Poso refugees in grave danger as mobs threaten
Ridwan Max Sijabat,
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An estimated 50,000 mainly Christian refugees fleeing brutal sectarian violence in Central Sulawesi could be attacked in the absence of military or police protection, a Catholic priest in the area says. Other eyewitness accounts point to scores of dead and thousands of mainly-Christian homes destroyed at the hands of well organized, uniformed militia equipped with machine-guns, rocket launchers and even bulldozers. Father Jimmy, told The Jakarta Post by telephone from Tentena, about 40 kilometers south of Poso town, on Friday that more than 50,000 residents and refugees were in danger of fresh attacks after extremist militia bombarded the villages of Betalemba, Patiwunga, Tangkura, Sanginora and Debua over the last three days. "All houses and other buildings in Sanginora and Debua were flattened when the terrorist groups attacked the two villages on
Thursday. They are nearing Tentena where around 50,000 villagers from Betalemba, Patiwunga and Tangkura are taking refuge," he said.

He said the militiamen would easily capture Tentena as only a dozen security personnel were stationed in the subdistrict while a score of security personnel from the Palu Military District and the Police's Mobile Brigade had already pulled out because of a lack of logistical supports from the Poso administration.

Father Jimmy said the local administration had "allowed" militiamen to destroy predominantly Catholic Tentena to make it similar with predominantly Muslim Poso which had been destroyed in the past. He said local religious leaders and security authorities needed to hold immediate talks to reconcile and work out emergency steps needed to halt the conflict.

Meanwhile, in Jakarta, Manado Bishop Mgr. Josef Suwatan OSC called on the central government and security forces to reign in the armed civilian militias conducting a terror campaign in Central Sulawesi. "The civilian militias have killed many local people and burned down thousands of houses and churches in five villages located between Poso and Tentena over the last three days," the bishop told the Post here on Thursday.

Mgr. Suwatan was here to meet government and security officials to draw attention to the prolonged sectarian conflict that has claimed more than 2,000 lives since it erupted three years ago.

The Manado Diocese supervising North Sulawesi, Gorontalo and northern Central Sulawesi, has established a crisis center with Muslim and Christian faiths to help end the bloody violence.

"All forms of violence must be halted against local people, regardless their religion or race," the bishop said.

Mgr. Suwatan questioned the absence of efforts between the central government and security authorities to restore law and order in the regency, saying the extremist groups freely killed local people and destroyed villages. He claimed the campaign was aimed at destroying communities and cultures in the area as the armed militiamen targeted people,
homes, churches, mosques and school buildings.

The bishop said hundreds of militiamen using military uniforms had launched well-organized raids on villages whose populations mainly comprised Christian people. The rebels, mostly from East Java, were equipped with AK-47 guns, rocket launchers, bulldozers and circular saws. "Both the Police and the Indonesian Military should immediately take tight measures to control the militiamen and disarm local people," he said. Poso Regent Muin Pusadat was not available for comment on Friday.

God, I feel so sick.

-sula

 

[alreadygone]

Sula, I'm so sorry....

If I may respectfully suggest--it really helped me, personally, to regain a little sanity on 9/11 and days following to stop news-seeking for a while and just be with friends and family. Take care of yourself, girl.

peace love and prayers,
cindi
--
So love is big, is bigger than us...

ps, uh, that's supposed to be a saddened, shocked smiley. Now that I look at it... (where are my glasses?)


[This message has been edited by alreadygone (edited 12-04-2001).]

 

[jinn77]

Originally posted by sulawesigirl4:
Peace, jinn77. He asked a valid question. This isn't a so much a situation where peaceful villagers of different faiths suddenly decide they hate each other and start killing. It's been more a case of instigated violence against Christians by Islamic militant groups from the outside seeking to destabilize the country. And of course the people that they attack are going to seek to defend themselves. It hurts everyone involved of both faiths because it promotes division and hate rather than civility and tolerance. In any case, there is no call for personal insults, and I'd appreciate it if we could keep this thread clean of them.

Gina, I'm more than pleased to share pictures of Sulawesi, but unfortunately most of mine are in photo albums and not online. Here are a few that I do have of my home.

-sula

Sorry Sula. Your country looks beautiful.I hope these terrible times are resolved quickly & peacefuly.

 

[LuvLady]