Civil servant shot in fresh violence in Ambon
Oktovianus Pinontoan, The Jakarta Post, Ambon
At least one person was shot on Monday in the capital of Maluku province, Ambon, in the first spate of serious violence in the province since the Malino peace accord was signed earlier this month by members of the local warring factions.
Buce Sapteno, a 40-year-old civil servant, was the first victim of violence since the pact was signed on Feb. 12 in the South Sulawesi hill resort of Malino in Gowa regency.
He was shot when a group of unidentified people attacked an official bus carrying around 20 people, which he was driving, in the Galunggung area, Sirimau subdistrict at around 7:45 a.m.
The bus, which belongs to the Ambon administration, was traveling from the village of Galala to the city's mayoralty office.
The ill-fated driver, a resident from the village of Lateri in Teluk Ambon Baguala subdistrict, survived the incident and is undergoing intensive treatment at a local hospital for bullet wounds to his right arm.
Speaking to journalists at the hospital, Buce said the attackers fired shots at his bus from all directions. "At the time, I floored the pedal to speed up the bus to leave the location."
Ambon Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Noviantoro, who visited the injured victim in hospital, said security forces were searching for the attackers.
One of the armed attackers wore a black, long-sleeved shirt and head band and had long hair, he said.
The attacker emerged from a foodstall and fired shots at the car outside the local office of state-owned traffic insurance company PT Jasa Raharja, Noviantoro added.
A. Mayaut, a female eyewitness who was among the passengers inside the bus, told Antara that the attackers also hurled a home-made bomb at the scene but the explosion missed the target. She did not elaborate further.
The fresh bloodshed ground all vehicles traveling from the village of Tulehu to Ambon city to a halt. It was not clear which group the attackers belonged to.
Maluku's Pattimura Military Commander Brig. Gen. Mustopo apologized to local people for the attack, and admitted that the authorities faced difficulties capturing the suspects due to the lack of information.
He called on the public not to travel through locations still deemed vulnerable to violence except with a security escort.
Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina said his office has appealed to residents to stay away from certain violence-prone areas as some members of society remained opposed to the recent peace agreement.
The latest incident erupted as Muslim and Christian negotiators and the local authorities were disseminating the outcome of the peace accord to halt the sectarian conflict that has killed around 6,000 people and displaced some 500,000 others.
Under the agreement, the security authorities must uphold the law against violators equally from both conflicting sides to end the violence, and remain neutral in their duties.
However, equal law enforcement remains unlikely in Ambon due to the absence of adequate professional support there, including judges and prosecutors -- who have fled the ravaged city -- and courts, which have been destroyed in the violence.
Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra has said he would not send judges to Ambon until the security situation returned to normal.
Apart from that, police and military personnel on duty across Maluku have been accused of siding with their own groups, a move that many have blamed for worsening the violence.
The disarmament operation was also part of the peace accord, but it was not clear when it would start.
The two sides have also agreed to reject separatist movements and the presence of all militias including those from the Java- based militant group, Laskar Jihad.
The militias have also been blamed for the deteriorating situation in Maluku. Under the pact, they must be expelled from the province.