February17, 2007:
Police and troops on Sulawesi were put on high alert, because
military intelligence had picked up information indicating that Islamic
radicals from all over Indonesia were moving to Sulawesi in an attempt to
launch a spectacular attack on local Christians. Australia has warned its
citizens to stay away from Central Sulawesi, where most of the violence tends
to take place. To make matters worse, the Christians are ready to strike back
if the Islamic terrorists go after them again. Over the last few years, some
2,000 people have died in religious strife on Sulawesi. The Islamic radicals
need a spectacular operation to revive declining enthusiasm for the cause (of
global Islamic conquest).
February
16, 2007: Six warships have been sent to "sand mining" areas (small
islands where the sand is put on boats and shipped to other countries for
making concrete and other construction uses), to enforce a new ban on sand
exports. The ban is mainly directed against Singapore, which is refusing to
extradite Indonesians wanted on corruption charges. The accused stole hundreds
of millions of dollars, and can thus afford the best lawyers, publicists
and influence peddlers. That works even in Singapore, one of the least corrupt
places on the planet.
February
14, 2007: In Papua, police and soldiers got into an argument, and a policeman
was shot dead. Such clashes have been common since 1999, when army control of
the police force was removed. The soldiers are having a hard time getting used
to dealing with cops who can now arrest them, or at least try to.
February
10, 2007: The UN is passing the hat, trying to raise the money, and people, to
extend the East Timor peacekeeping force. The 1,800 peacekeepers are mostly
police, and they are dealing with a population of about a million. But fifteen
percent of the population are refugees, and most of the adults are unemployed,
and dependent on UN food aid to live. Thus people have plenty of time to devote
to street gangs, many of which are politically motivated. The presidential
elections are on April 9, and the UN would like to have more troops or police on
hand to deal with the usual (for East Timor) election violence. The current
peacekeeping operation expires on February 25, and the UN is seeking the votes,
and money, to extend that for a year. But many countries are getting tired of
paying to police places like East Timor, that never seem able to care for
themselves.