Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Indonesia must "have the courage" to reveal "honestly" what is behind past and present violence in Poso and Ambon. The hard-hitting appeal was made by Police Inspector-General, Ansyaad Mbai, head of the anti-terror squad of the Indonesian Department of Security and Political Affairs. The official expressed his concern about investigations into the beheading of three Christians in Poso on 29 October and the shooting of more youth in the same area barely a week later.

In his statement, Mbai made his views clear, that Indonesia "does not have the courage to be honest and to reveal the true story behind the problematic situation" in Sulawesi and the Moluccas.

The inspector-general's concern echoes that of the population at large and relatives of the victims, who continue to call for justice and transparency regarding latest violence in the region. A few days ago, five men thought to be responsible for the triple murders were released because of lack of evidence. On 15 November, however, the Major General Arief Budi Sampurno, regional commander of Sulawesi, announced that three out of the five suspects had been rearrested. DNA testing has matched their blood to that found on the scene of the crime. The names of the five suspects were not revealed "for security reasons" and it is unclear who is responsible for their arrest, whether the army or the police.

More than 85% of Indonesia's 220 million inhabitants are Muslim but in many areas, like the Sulawesi and Moluccas provinces, the population is equally divided into Christians and Muslims. A conflict between the two communities erupted violently in 1999 in Sulawesi. A peace agreement signed in 2001 sought to calm the situation, which has never been fully appeased. According to Ansyaad Mbai, the case is very sensitive because "national harmony among religious denominations is at stake and so the government has never given a satisfactory explanation about the real motive behind the violence" in the two provinces.

The local and centralised forces have given only offhand information about the beheading of the young Christians, continued Mbai. Major General Arief Budi Sampurno issued a statement saying the true motive behind the three homicides was money. According to Mbai, "this is all contradictory". "Then why did the authorities from Jakarta bring religious leaders with them to the scene of the crime?...well, it means something, doesn't it?"

The inspector-general admitted to the significance of the Malino peace treaty but at the same time, he underlined its lack of clarity about the roots of the conflict and its inaccuracy in designing a serious peace process package. Mbai said the clashes in Poso and Ambon were not religious: "Some groups used religion to sow chaos due to political interest."

In this way, added the general, the region has become ever more fertile ground for Islamic terrorism, which has developed 'channels' in southeast Asia "between Poso (Central Sulawesi), Ampenan (West Nusa Tenggara Province), Taliabu-Buru-Seram-Ambon-Halmahera-Morotai (Moluccas), Moro (South Philippines), and Sabah (Malaysia)."