THE conflict in Poso, Central Sulawesi, has been smoldering like hot coals with no end in sight. Hostilities between residents of different religions have been taking place since the end of December 1998. Hundreds of lives have been lost, thousands injured, and countless buildings have been razed to the ground. The general populace has been polarized, based on their respective faiths: Islam and Christianity.

The conflict resurfaced on October