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Fifteen Muslim men have been arrested in connection with a spate of attacks on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi in recent years, police say.
The attacks include the beheading of three Christian schoolgirls last year and the bombing of two markets in 2004.
Sporadic attacks between Sulawesi's Muslims and Christians have continued despite a peace deal signed four years ago that put an end to fighting.
There has been a surge in attacks in the province in recent weeks.
The men were arrested after an eight-month investigation, police said. Another 29 suspects are still at large.
VIOLENT PAST
Previously known as Celebes, Sulawesi is Indonesia's fourth largest island
80% of residents are Muslim, while 17% are Christian
A December 1998 brawl in Poso led to months of religious violence in which hundreds died
They are suspected of being involved in 13 separate attacks between 2001 and 2006.
These include the beheading and mutilation of three teenage girls who were attacked on their way to school near the city of Poso, in eastern Sulawesi, in October 2005.
The recent rise in tension on Sulawesi has been attributed by many to the execution of three Christians in September for their role in the province's long-running conflict, the BBC's Lucy Williamson in Jakarta says.
But others say it is the heavy presence - and behaviour - of the security forces which is fuelling the unrest, she adds.
Indonesian Vice-President Yusuf Kalla is in the province this week to meet religious leaders and try and ease the tensions.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/6101680.stm
The son of Indonesia's former President Suharto has been freed from jail on conditional release after serving only four years of a murder sentence.
Hutomo Mandala Putra, also known as Tommy, was given a 15-year sentence in 2002 following his conviction for ordering the killing of a judge.
His sentence was first cut to 10 years, and then reduced further.
Human rights activists and anti-corruption campaigners have voiced strong opposition to his release
Scuffles broke out as he was driven from the prison in east Jakarta.
His van was surrounded by dozens of reporters and photographers as he left for the prosecutor's office, where his release was made official.
'State of law'
Officials said Tommy Suharto was eligible for release after receiving his most recent sentence reduction along with thousands of other prisoners to mark Eid al-Fitr, the end of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
Under Indonesian law, prisoners who have shown good conduct and have served more than two-thirds of their sentence once the remissions are taken into account are eligible for parole.
Vice President Yusuf Kalla rejected criticism that the Indonesian authorities were favouring him because of his family connections.
"This is a state of law," he told reporters. "Once he completes his sentence ... he should be released."
Officials said he would remain on parole for a year.
A leading Indonesian human rights lawyer, Johnson Pandjaitan, said it was wrong to view the release as automatic.
"Conditional release is never automatic. Nothing is really automatic. It should go through a certain process," he told Reuters news agency.
Embezzlement charges
The 44-year-old former playboy was found guilty in 2002 on charges of murder, weapons possession and evading justice.
He was convicted of masterminding the assassination of Supreme Court Judge Syafiuddin Kartasasmita who was shot dead by gunmen on a motorcycle.
Judge Kartasasmita had himself convicted Tommy for corruption and illegal possession of weapons.
Tommy's father Suharto stepped down in 1998 amid an economic crisis and rising discontent.
The 84-year-old ailing former leader is accused of embezzling millions of dollars in state funds during his three decades in power, a charge he denies.
By Arijit Ghosh
Oct. 24 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. President George W. Bush will travel to Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population, and Singapore next month when he attends the 14th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders meeting in Vietnam.
Bush will be in Hanoi for the meeting on Nov. 18 and Nov. 19, the White House said yesterday in a statement posted on its Web site.
Bush's visit to Indonesia will be the culmination of high- level Western leaders meeting President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta this year. The U.S. has described Indonesia as a ``voice of moderation in the Islamic world'' and that nation's Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited the country on March 15. Her visit was followed by Tony Blair, the first British prime minister to visit Indonesia since Margaret Thatcher in 1985.
Yudhoyono, Indonesia's first directly elected president, has cracked down on terrorism and corruption and last year signed a peace accord with rebels in the western province of Aceh, ending a conflict that killed more than 12,000 people in nearly three decades of fighting.
Fifteen Muslim men have been arrested in connection with a spate of attacks on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi in recent years, police say.
