Analysts doubt Ja'far arrest will end violence

Kurniawan Hari and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Analysts doubt the arrest of the commander of the militant Islamic group Laskar Jihad, Ja'far Umar Thalib, will end the bloody violence in Maluku because those directly responsible for the latest massacre remain at large.

Sociologist Thamrin Amal Tomagola and rights activist Asmara Nababan urged authorities to disclose all details surrounding the violence and bring the perpetrators to court.

"The authorities have to enforce the law consistently," said Thamrin, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia (UI) here on Sunday.

He was referring to one of the points agreed upon during peace talks signed in February by the rival Muslim and Christian groups in Malino, South Sulawesi.

Among the points recommended to restore peace were law enforcement and the improvement of people's welfare.

In the Maluku capital city of Ambon, police arrested three people on Sunday on charges of torching the governor's office on April 3. The city was quiet but tense as heavy rains fell.

Ja'far was arrested at the Police headquarters here Saturday in connection with the carnage in the village of Soya on April 28 that claimed at least 12 lives.

Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina has said Ja'far allegedly incited Laskar Jihad militiamen to take action during a mass prayer two days before the incident.

Witnesses said perpetrators of the mass killing wore masks and military uniforms. They appeared to have military training and were equipped with military-standard M-16 rifles, bayonets and homemade bombs. The alleged attackers had to pass Christian neighborhoods to reach Soya.

Thamrin said the authorities must not stop with the arrest of Ja'far. Others too should be investigated, he said.

"They include Laskar Jihad, the incidents before and after the Malino II agreement, and the separatist movement," Thamrin told The Jakarta Post.

Ja'far was also arrested on May 4, 2001 on charges of inciting hatred on a religion and imposing Islamic law on one of his supporters who was stoned to death. He was released on May 22 after a court decided his detention was unlawful.

There has been speculation that police and military officers deployed in Maluku were taking sides.

Asmara, executive of the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID), questioned whether or not the arrest of Ja'far was enough to show the neutrality and professionalism of the security forces.

If only the police could maintain its consistency in dealing with Ja'far and his followers, any rumors about the involvement of the security forces could be discounted, he said.

"Many people blame the security apparatus as part of the conflict in Ambon due to their lack of neutrality and professionalism. The security apparatus is also being condemned for their in decisiveness in taking stern action against other groups there.

"The police currently detaining Ja'far, as well as Alex Manuputty of the pro-independence Maluku Sovereignty Forum (FKM), doesn't mean that problems in Maluku will end ... That will depend on the police's consistency," Asmara said.

Thamrin said that the recent bloody incidents were not purely conducted by the local people.

Asmara, who visited the Maluku capital of Ambon two weeks after the signing of the Malino II peace accord, praised the Christians for not taking revenge for the recent Soya massacre.

Thamrin said this had shown that the incidents in Ambon were not internal problems, but the problems brought by outsiders including the Laskar Jihad, the separatist group, and the "unidentified troops" who often joined in mass rallies.