Authorities blamed for new spate of violence in Maluku

Authorities blamed for new spate of violence in Maluku

The Jakarta Post, Ambon

Many blamed the Maluku authorities for the recent spate of
violence that effectively derailed the Malino peace deal, saying
the conflict that had claimed more than 6,000 lives had been
prolonged because of the absence of action against law breakers.

According to them, the bloody attack on the Christian village
of Soya that claimed at least 14 lives on Sunday would not have
happened if security personnel had stepped up patrols in the
areas prone to violence across the province.

Amir Amar, a local Muslim in the Diponegoro area in the
provincial capital, said he was deeply concerned with the absence
of a strong commitment from local security authorities to enforce
the law and take stern action against those groups who have
violated the peace agreement.

"So far, both the local police and military remain silent on
the arresting of those raising the South Maluku Republic (RMS)
secessionist movement's flag as well as on the Soya attack.

"Speaking frankly, there is something strange. Besides the
absence of stern action, security authorities are also
discriminative in handling extreme groups which should be handled
properly in accordance with the peace agreement because RMS is
prohibited to raise its flag while Lasjkar Jihad is allowed to
hold a mass gathering," he said, referring to the Java-based
militant Muslim group which witnesses allege was involved in the
attack in Soya.

To be fair, he said, security authorities must ban all extreme
groups that have incited their supporters to exert violence.

"Because of the lack of fair treatment, Saparua was rocked by
a powerful bomb, the governor's office was burned, RMS supporters
raised their flag and Jaffar Umar Thalib, chairman of Laskar
Jihad, was allowed to speak freely at a rally of his supporters,"
he said.

The situation in Ambon was quiet but tense as many people were
reluctant to leave home for fear of fresh violence following the
Soya incident.

John Ruhulesin, chairman of the Maluku Protestant Church Youth
Organization (GPM), expressed his fear of fresh violence in the
future because of the absence of security from the authorities.

"Maluku must be cleansed of extreme groups, including the RMS,
the Red and White Groups and Lasjkar Jihad, if authorities who
are in charge of the civil state of emergency are committed to
ending the prolonged conflict that has brought terrible suffering
to the people," he said.

He added that the violent situation would persist if the
government imposed martial law or upgraded the state of civil
emergency to a state of military emergency because of the absence
of neutral and professional law enforcers.

Ruhulesin accused Lasjkar Jihad of being behind the Soya
incident. He said it was likely a reaction, because the group's
call for war against RMS did not get a positive response from
either the authorities or the local people.

Thamrin Elly who led the Muslim delegation to the Malino peace
talks in February, concurred and said Lasjkar Jihad had no
authority to declare war against RMS and yet the security
authorities did not take any action against the organization.

"Only the government has the authority to declare and execute
a war against secessionist organizations such as RMS or the
Maluku Sovereignty Forum," he said.

Thamrin went on to say that the violence over the last two
months was a cost that was being paid by the people of Maluku due
to the absence of proper law enforcement.

He said authorities had spoken a lot about peace but done
little.

To this point, Governor Saleh Latuconsina, Brig. Gen.
Moestopo, chief of the Pattimura Military Command overseeing
Maluku and North Maluku and Provincial Police Chief Brig. Gen.
Soenarko have been conspicuously silent with regard to the
absence of law enforcement.

Cak Saimima, spokesman for the provincial administration,
declined to comment on the absence of tough security measures. He
also chose silence when asked why the highest ranking officials
would not speak about how they planned to end the conflict or why
the Malino deal was not being implemented.

"How can I condemn the latest violence or order security
authorities to exert repression, because, in fact, the people
cannot be deceived," Antara quoted him as saying.

Major incidents in Maluku after Malino peace agreement Feb. 12, 2002

Feb. 13: Four bombs explode in Ambon.

March 2: Peace rallies in Ambon held by 3,000 Muslims and
Christians communities ends in violence, leaving two people
injured.

March 5: About 500 people demonstrate in front of the Maluku
Governor's office in Ambon.

March 31: A bomb explodes in Ambon, killing four people and
wounding 55 others, the Maluku Governor's office is set ablaze.

April 9: Weapons search by the military begins in Ambon.

April 15: 682 joint-troops from Bandung, West Java, are deployed
to Ambon.

April 17: Chairman of the Front for the Maluku Sovereignty Front
(FKM), Alexander H. Manuputty, is detained for questioning on the
front's plan to fly the South Maluku Republic (RMS) flag on April
25.

April 18: About 100 FKM members rally in front of Maluku Police
Headquarters, demanding the release of their chairman.

April 19: The Maluku Governor declares the province closed to
foreigners and foreign non-governmental organizations.

April 25: Thousands of people in Ambon protest the flying of the
RMS flag. A mortar blast wounds two people.

April 26: Two bombs explode in Ambon, no casualties are reported.
Police arrest 27 RMS supporters, accusing them of flying the RMS
flag.

April 28: Unidentified people attack the village of Soya in
Ambon, killing 12 people and wounding 12 others.