CENTRAL SULAWESI: POSO FEELING SECURE, BUT WORRIED ABOUT THE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SURABAYA 000013 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, INR/EAP, DRL, EAP/PD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAO EAID SOCI PTER SUBJECT: CENTRAL SULAWESI: POSO FEELING SECURE, BUT WORRIED ABOUT THE PACE OF ECONOMIC RECOVERY REF: A. 07 SURABAYA 85 (POST-CONFLICT TENTENA AND POSO) ¶B. 07 JAKARTA 2597 (CENTRAL SULAWESI SECURITY) ¶C. 07 JAKARTA 2598 (CENTRAL SULAWESI ECONOMY) SURABAYA 00000013 001.2 OF 002 This message is sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On a January 18-20 visit to Central Sulawesi, Surabaya Pol/Econ officer spoke with NGOs, journalists, academics and local residents about the current state of post-conflict recovery in Poso. All agreed that the outlook is positive overall; however there is an equally clear consensus that fundamental vulnerabilities remain -- due to a lack of economic opportunity and frustration over the pace of recovery -- which could trigger violence if not addressed. A sense of security is particularly important to convince small business owners now living elsewhere to return to Poso and assist in the region's economic recovery. End Summary. Divisions Remain, But Re-Integration is Gaining Ground -------------- -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Surabaya Pol/Econ officer traveled to the cities of Palu and Poso, Central Sulawesi, January 18-20 to evaluate the effectiveness of reconciliation and economic development efforts in this conflict-plagued region. While inter-religious violence has ceased, economic recovery is proceeding more slowly than hoped. During a wide-ranging discussion about ongoing recovery efforts in Poso, five members of the Center for Conflict Resolution and Peace (PKRP) described ameliorating residual psychological effects of the conflict as one of two key factors to current recovery efforts, but complained these effects were often overlooked by authorities. ¶3. (SBU) PKRP and other Poso NGOs have formed discussion groups to help witnesses to extreme violence address their own feelings and recognize the suffering of others. Children are particularly vulnerable to the psychological effects of the years of conflict, according to one PKRP worker. He said that without intervention of some sort, traumatized children are vulnerable to recruitment as willing fighters in a new cycle of violence once they become adults. These discussions are taking place in Poso and, although communities remain largely separated along post-conflict religious lines, many Christian and Muslim residents of formerly integrated communities now feel safe to return to their old villages. Slow Pace of Economic Development -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The PKRP activists highlighted economic development as the second key factor. The 2001 Malino Declaration for Poso sets out the path to recovery in its ten points. According to one PKRP worker, the most destabilizing gaps are contained in three points of the agreement: a) the right of property ownership; b) the right of residents to return to their original homes and; c) the intention that the government will restore infrastructure and promote economic development. The timing, specific mechanisms, and government bodies responsible for implementing the declaration were not spelled out. ¶5. (SBU) PKRP workers said that corruption and inefficiency in the Poso Regency is slowing disbursal of aid and increasing the possibility of renewed violence. During a separate meeting, Kamil Badrun, Chief Editor of Radar Sulteng (the area's major newspaper),echoed this assessment, adding that progress on the fundamentals, particularly legal reform and economic development, will ensure a full recovery. Prof. Tahmidy Lasahido of Tadulako University in Palu also highlighted the importance of economic and educational opportunities for denying radicalism a point of entry into the community. For Lasahido, himself a participant in reconciliation efforts, targeting outreach to ex-combatants is the surest means to forestall future conflict. Visible Signs of Progress Amid Reminders of Conflict -------------- -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Construction of the Pondok Pesantren Ittihadul Ummah Poso, a major Islamic boarding school in Tokorondo, Poso Pesisir, appears nearly complete and ready for its scheduled SURABAYA 00000013 002.2 OF 002 March 2008 opening. Pol/Econ Officer had previously viewed the construction site in early November 2007 when only the frames and foundations were visible. The cornerstone of this pesantren was laid by President Yudhoyono in May 2007. Presidential attention and funding has ensured that construction stays on track. The school is intended to provide students with a cost-free, ideologically moderate alternative to another area pesantren was has been blamed for spreading radical ideology. If Ittihadul Ummah is a bright spot along the coastal road, charred and empty buildings visible nearly everywhere stand as stark reminders that there is still a long way to go towards normalcy. ¶7. (SBU) Poso residents told Pol/Econ officer said that despite a sense of physical security, a sense of economic stability has yet to return. While international aid organizations and local NGOs carry out development projects and local leaders seek large-scale investment, residents complain that many small businesses, which predate the conflict, have yet to receive the attention they deserve. Rows of shops in the city of Poso remain empty, many burned and gutted, while still others are abandoned and shuttered. ¶8. (SBU) Local shopkeepers said that the bulk of the empty shops were owned by Sino-Indonesians who fled during the conflict and have yet to return. According to the owner of one grocery, this has provided an opportunity for local people to buy shops at bargain prices. One hotel, burned and gutted during the conflict, was owned by a Sino-Indonesian. The new owners from nearby Palu, purchased the hotel at a bargain but are struggling to find guests. Absentee owners, now living in Makassar, Surabaya and Jakarta are reportedly waiting for the right time to return. Residents and shop-owners speculated that both absentee shop-owners and customers would return once they are convinced that Poso is safe. MCCLELLAND