VZCZCXRO3782
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #1050/01 1030718
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 130718Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4323
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS IMMEDIATE
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA IMMEDIATE 0652
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON IMMEDIATE 1462
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHHJJPI/USPACOM HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE
RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEAWJB/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 001050 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR S/CT, EAP/MTS, INL FOR BOULDIN 
DOJ FOR CTS THORNTON, AAG SWARTZ, OPDAT FOR 
LEHMANN/ALEXANDRE 
FBI FOR ETTUI/SSA ROTH 
NCTC WASHDC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER PGOV KJUS ASEC CASC ID
SUBJECT: POSO CHRISTIANS CHARGED WITH TERRORISM 
 
REF: A. JAKARTA 826 
 
     ¶B. 06 JAKARTA 12100 
     ¶C. 06 JAKARTA 13454 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (U) Trials opened in Jakarta the week of April 2 in the 
cases of 17 Christians from Poso, Central Sulawesi.  The men 
are charged with terrorism and pre-meditated murder in the 
killings of two Muslims in September 2006.  The killings were 
reportedly a reaction to the execution just days earlier of 
three Christians convicted of murder for their role in a 
series of attacks on Muslims during 1999-2001.  The cases 
mark the first known use of the Antiterror Law of 2003 
against Christians in Indonesia.  The cases are being tried 
by the Attorney General's Task Force on Terrorism and 
Transnational Crime, whose formation in 2006 was funded by a 
$750,000 FY04 ESF grant.  End Summary 
 
The Indictments 
--------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The trials of 17 suspects involved in the murders of 
two men in Poso, Central Sulawesi, recently got underway in 
Jakarta.  As with previous cases involving violence in Poso, 
the trials were moved to Jakarta both for security reasons 
and to avoid inflaming passions in Poso, where tensions 
continue to run high.  The suspects, all of whom are 
Christian, allegedly murdered the two victims in retaliation 
for the execution of three Poso Christians last September 
(ref B).  The three were convicted of murder for their role 
in attacks on Muslims during the unrest of 1999-2001.  The 
suspects are being tried in two groups: one group of 12 and 
another of five.  According to the indictments, the group of 
12 set up a roadblock on a highway outside Poso.  They 
allowed at least one car, whose driver was a Christian, to 
pass safely but stopped another car containing the two 
victims, whom the suspects identified as Muslims.  The two 
men were then taken from the car and struck repeatedly, but 
managed to flee into a nearby house.  The mob then forcibly 
removed the victims from the house and beat them into 
unconsciousness, while the car was dumped into a ditch.  The 
second group of five suspects then arrived and assisted in 
moving the inert bodies to a different location.   According 
to the indictments, when one of the victims was found to be 
still alive, a suspect struck a fatal machete blow to the 
victim's neck.  The group then buried the two bodies. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Both groups face charges under paragraph 6 of the 
2003 Antiterrorism Law, as well as charges of premeditated 
murder, manslaughter and concealing evidence under the 
general criminal code.  The terrorism charge carries a 
maximum sentence of death.  The indictments rely heavily on 
the statements of the suspects themselves and of three key 
witnesses.  These include the two men who were stopped in 
their car by the group but later released when it was 
determined they were Christians, and the man who attempted to 
shelter the two victims in his home.  The indictments also 
cite the coroner's reports on the two victims. 
 
The Suspects 
------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU) The 17 suspects are as follows: 
 
Hapri Tumonggi aka Api 
DOB: 23 April 1978 
POB: Poso 
 
Darman Aja aka Panye 
DOB: 1983 
POB: Masani, Central Sulawesi 
 
Edwin Poima aka Epin 
DOB: 8 December 1981 
POB: Poleganyara, Central Sulawesi 
 
JAKARTA 00001050  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
Agus Chandra aka Anda 
DOB: 17 August 1983 
POB: Olumokunde, Central Sulawesi 
 
Syaiful Ibrahim aka Ipul 
DOB: 13 October 1984 
POB: Poleganyara, Central Sulawesi 
 
Erosman Tioki aka Eman 
DOB: 12 August 1979 
POB: Galuga, Central Sulawesi 
 
Walsus Alpin aka Eje 
DOB: 26 November 1983 
POB: Olumokunde, Central Sulawesi 
 
Benhard Tompondusu aka Tende 
DOB: 30 December 1978 
POB: Poleganyara, Central Sulawesi 
 
Sastra Yuda Wastu Naser aka Ibo 
DOB: 17 August 1983 
POB: Poleganyara, Central Sulawesi 
 
Romi Yanto Parusu aka Romi 
DOB: 1 August 1987 
POB: Poleganyara, Central Sulawesi 
 
Fernikson Bontura ala Kenong 
DOB: 10 November 1986 
POB: Poleganyara, Central Sulawesi 
 
Jefri Bontura aka Karate aka Ate 
DOB: 22 December 1985 
POB: Poleganyara, Central Sulawesi 
 
Arnoval Mencana aka Opan 
DOB: 23 August 1981 
POB: Poleganyara, Central Sulawesi 
 
Bambang Tontou aka Bambang 
DOB: 26 August 1983 
POB: Poleganyara, Central Sulawesi 
 
Jonathan Tamsur aka Nathan 
DOB: 12 December 1983 
POB: Paramba 
 
Dedy Doris Serpainus Tempali aka Dedy 
DOB: 3 January 1981 
POB: Poleganyara, Central Sulawesi 
 
Roni Sepriyanto Rantedago Parusu aka Oni 
DOB: 3 September 1988 
POB: Poleganyara, Central Sulawesi 
 
First Christians Charged With Terror 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) The trials mark the first known use against 
Christians of the Antiterror Law of 2003; previously terror 
charges were mainly leveled against Muslims linked to Jemaah 
Islamiyah (JI) or other Islamic extremist groups.  Muslim 
Defense Team (TPM) attorneys for three Poso Muslims recently 
convicted of terrorism in the case of the 2005 schoolgirl 
beheadings (ref A) complained to the press during the trials 
that the Antiterror Law was being used exclusively against 
Muslims.  The TPM cited this in alleging that law enforcement 
officials were unfairly targeting Poso's Muslim community, a 
belief they claimed was widely shared among Muslims in Poso. 
It is not clear whether those statements had any impact on 
the indictments against the 17.  (Note: INP investigators 
told us that the reason terrorism charges had not previously 
been brought against Christians in Poso was that Muslims were 
behind the terrorist violence carried out since the law was 
passed.  Before the present instance, most if not all the 
 
JAKARTA 00001050  003 OF 003 
 
 
Christians arrested in Central Sulawesi had committed their 
crimes in the years prior to the passage of the law.) 
According to one legal expert, the terrorism charge is 
correct only if the prosecutors can prove that the murders 
caused widespread fear or panic among the local Muslim 
population; otherwise, the crimes should be tried as murder. 
The indictments do not address this aspect of the case. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The trials are being handled by prosecutors from the 
Attorney General's Task Force on Terrorism and Transnational 
Crime.  The Task Force was created in 2006 with USG support 
in the form of a $750,000 FY04 ESF grant (ref C).  Task Force 
prosecutors recently won terrorism convictions against the 
three Poso terrorists cited above, and are currently 
preparing cases against eight other suspects linked to 
attacks in Poso. 
 
HEFFERN