Ambon talks end in disaray<\/p>\n
M. Azis Tunny, Ambon<\/p>\n
A meeting of Christian and Muslim leaders and National Police
\nchief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar ended in disarray here on Monday, after
\nconflicting parties failed to reach an agreement to cease the
\nrenewed clashes in Ambon, Maluku.<\/p>\n
The breakdown in the talks is expected to worsen the sectarian
\nconflict in the restive city, where at least 38 people have died
\nin renewed clashes that erupted on April 25, triggered by a
\nseparatist rally.<\/p>\n
Separately, police said they would charge the wife and
\ndaughter of exiled Maluku separatist leader Alex Manuputty with
\nsubversion-related offenses.<\/p>\n
Monday's meeting became heated after Maluku police and
\nmilitary chiefs prohibited local Muslim leaders from reading out
\na statement on their stance over the violence on April 25, the
\n54th anniversary of the declaration of the South Maluku Republic
\n(RMS).<\/p>\n
When Da'i was leaving the venue, he was suddenly stopped by
\nMuslim leader Abdurachman Nivinubun who was dissatisfied with the
\nmeeting, which was conducted without a dialog between
\nparticipants.<\/p>\n
The forum was closed after Da'i, noted Muslim preacher
\nAbdullah \"Aa Gym\" Gymnastiar and Indonesian Communion of Churches
\n(PGI) chairman Nathan Setiabudi gave speeches.<\/p>\n
Abdurachman's spontaneous move surprised other meeting
\nparticipants.<\/p>\n
Pattimura military commander Maj. Gen. Syarifuddin Sumah and
\nother local senior officers tried to calm Abdurachman, but the
\nlatter insisted on speaking.<\/p>\n
\"Allow me to speak here. National Police chief, I want to talk
\nto you for a while. The current unrest, which is a continuation
\nof the April 25 incident, is part of a big scenario aimed at
\ndestroying Maluku,\" Abdurachman told Da'i.<\/p>\n
He argued that the security forces were powerless in
\npreventing activists from the Maluku Sovereignty Front (FKM) from
\nstaging a separatist rally on April 25.<\/p>\n
Similarly, Christian youth leader Josias Polnaya lamented that
\nthe Da'i-led meeting had failed to bring about a peaceful
\nsolution, as it did not give the chance for participants to air
\ntheir views or grievances.<\/p>\n
Josias said the fresh violence was part of attempts by
\noutsiders to disrupt the ethnic harmony between people in
\nreligiously segregated Maluku, who lived in relative peace after
\na peace accord signed in early 2002 to end three years of
\nfighting that began in January 1999.<\/p>\n
In a response, Da'i said the police would take action
\n\"proportionally and professionally\" to stop the sectarian
\nconflict.<\/p>\n
He also pledged to deal with RMS separatists before leaving
\nthe venue.<\/p>\n
The chaos lasted for only a few minutes as both Muslim and
\nChristian participants refrained from blaming each other for the
\nnew clashes.<\/p>\n
However, the Muslim group, in its statement that was not read
\nout at the meeting, firmly demanded that the police resolve all
\nFKM\/RMS cases thoroughly within three days.<\/p>\n
The Muslim participants also urged the police to replace all
\npersonnel from Maluku with those from outside the province in
\norder to stop alleged partiality.<\/p>\n
According to another participant Hasan Ohorella, the Maluku
\nauthorities asked that the statement not to be read out at the
\nmeeting because it could disrupt the forum.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the police said at least 35 RMS members, including
\nOly and Christine Manuputty -- the wife and daughter of exiled
\nMaluku pro-independence leader Alex Manuputty, were detained and
\nwould face subversion charges.<\/p>\n
FKM secretary-general Moses Tuanakotta was also among those
\ndetained at the Maluku Police headquarters.<\/p>\n
Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Bambang Sutrisno promised to
\ncomplete their case files soon so as to submit them to
\nprosecutors.<\/p>\n
He said the police were hunting down other separatist members
\nstill at large.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Da'i said the trials for the charged RMS leaders
\nwould be held outside Maluku to prevent possible violence.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the security situation was much calmer in Ambon on
\nMonday amid heavy rain. No shooting or blasts were heard, despite
\nrumors that Laskar Jihad hard-liners would head to Ambon as they
\ndid in the previous conflict.<\/p>\n
Maluku Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu told Antara that he had
\nordered security forces to remove the various makeshift
\nbarricades erected by residents during the melee.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ambon-talks-end-in-disaray-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}