TNI sends more troops to Maluku<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Over 400 reinforcements arrived in riot-torn
\nMaluku on Monday, with a pledge to maintain neutrality in their
\nefforts to quell the communal clashes that have rocked the
\nislands for the past year.<\/p>\n
Lt. Col. Sukoso Maksum, who heads the 401 Infantry Battalion
\nfrom the Central Java-based Diponegoro Military Command, said
\nupon arrival at Sultan Baabulah airport in North Maluku's main
\ncity of Ternate that his personnel would take a mediatory role,
\nwithout ignoring their main duty to restore order.<\/p>\n
"Everybody is expected to act stiffly and maintain
\nimpartiality when dealing with the warring parties," Sukoso said
\nas quoted by Antara.<\/p>\n
Alleged discriminative treatment by security personnel has
\nbeen blamed for the unabated sectarian conflict across the
\narchipelagic province. A member of a reconcilatory team sent to
\nMaluku, Thamrin Amal Tomagola, said last week security troops had
\nfailed to uphold neutrality in their handling of the cycle of
\nviolence in Maluku.<\/p>\n
The arrival of reinforcements, popularly called Bull Raiders,
\nwill join an Army battalion sent from East Java to North Maluku's
\nriot-hit areas of Galela, Tobelo, Kao and Jailolo.<\/p>\n
Some 8,000 troops have been dispatched to Maluku since the
\nfirst outbreak of violence took place in mid-January last year.<\/p>\n
Fresh waves of clashes have erupted in North and Central
\nMaluku over the past week. The Indonesian Military (TNI)
\nestimated the death toll during the week of violence at 448, with
\n270 others severely injured.<\/p>\n
In a statement released on Monday, the TNI said Galela,
\nTobelo, Jailolo and Ibo districts remained prone to clashes.<\/p>\n
There has been controversy on the number of fatalities. Antara
\nquoted refugees and North Maluku Police chief Lt. Col. Didik
\nPrijandono as saying that between 400 and 500 people had been
\nkilled over the past week. A group of South Sulawesi natives
\nliving in North Maluku reported that figure was too high.<\/p>\n
Hours before the arrival of new troops, at least six people
\nwere killed in two separate incidents in North Maluku. Meanwhile,
\nthousands others fled their homes to seek safety.<\/p>\n
Three people were mobbed to death for alleged infiltration
\nshortly after their arrival at Ahmad Yani seaport in Ternate.
\nThey were among refugees from Tobelo and Galela.<\/p>\n
No details were available about the incident, which took place
\nearly on Monday. Later in the day, three people died in a clash
\nin the Bahtera neighborhood area of Ternate.<\/p>\n
Sawid Silawane from the local Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI)
\nconfirmed the incident in Bahtera and identified the three
\nvictims as Muslim residents from Nusa Pelau in Haruku island and
\nKairatu.<\/p>\n
"They died of fatal gunshot wounds and all were buried
\nimmediately after the incident. Security forces shot them in
\ntheir attempt to disperse the crowd," he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Sawid said he had no idea what might have fueled the incident,
\nbut he insisted that Muslim residents would take revenge for the
\nprevious day's burning of a privately run Islamic hospital.<\/p>\n
A resident of Bahtera, Edong alias Harti, said the
\nneighborhood was calm on Monday evening.<\/p>\n
"People only stopped the throwing homemade bombs after police
\narrived at around 12 a.m.," she said.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Saturday communal clashes also erupted in Masohi,
\naround one kilometer from Bahtera.<\/p>\n
Edong said in Masohi and its vicinity residents were living
\nwithout electricity supplies and public transport.<\/p>\n
In Makassar, at least 100 people belonging to the South
\nSulawesi Muslims Front (FMSS) staged a protest at the City Hall
\non Monday, demanding the evacuation of Muslims from riot-torn
\nNorth Maluku.<\/p>\n
The demonstrators, consisting of North Maluku people living in
\nMakassar and local Muslim youths, urged the government of
\nIndonesia and the South Sulawesi administration to provide
\nMuslims in North Maluku with transportation.<\/p>\n
"We want the South Sulawesi administration to give serious
\nattention to North Maluku Muslims, who mostly hail from South
\nSulawesi, or there will be more killings," Bachtiar Andi Lewa,
\ncoordinator of the organization said.<\/p>\n
Demonstrations were also staged in Yogyakarta, where some
\n2,000 people who claimed to represent the Muslim Brotherhood
\nForum (FUI) marched to the local legislative body to demand that
\nthe Maluku 'genocide' be promptly settled.<\/p>\n
Some of the demonstrators made speeches, while others waved
\nbanners reading, among other things, "Ambon is not a second
\nBosnia."<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung
\nsuggested on Monday that the central government set up a crisis
\ncenter to take over all problems occurred in Maluku since the
\nlocal administration was no longer functioning.<\/p>\n
"The center could handle and control all the administrative
\nfunctions until the situation is declared safe," Akbar said.<\/p>\n
He said the center is needed since the current clashes were
\nbelieved to involve local public figures and officials.
\n(27\/emf\/jun\/swa\/sur)<\/p>",
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