Demonstrations for Maluku province division die down

AMBON, Maluku (JP): Calm prevailed on Friday in Ternate, the capital of North Maluku regency, following the government's statement that a draft law on the expansion of Maluku into two provinces will soon be submitted for deliberation at the House of Representatives.

Residents, who had been demonstrating for the expansion, were apparently mitigated by the Director General of Public Administration and Regional Autonomy Ryaas Rasyid's promise to submit the draft next week. Ryaas said the bill was intended to seriously meet the demands for Maluku to be separated into two provinces.

Earlier, residents of the predominately Muslim North Maluku and Central Halmahera vowed to continue demonstrations to push for a separate province from their southern neighbors. Tensions rose in the areas which were recently hit by months of conflicts between Muslims and Christians which killed more than 400 people since it first erupted in January.

A local journalist, Sahlan Heluth, said by telephone from Ternate that business and offices reopened on Friday while security personnel remained posted at various strategic areas. During demonstrations on Wednesday, only the local telecommunication and post offices, a photo studio and a restaurant were open for business.

In Ambon, hundreds of students from North Maluku and Central Halmahera called off their plan to rally at the provincial chapter of Golkar over the matter.

"We are still waiting to see whether the government is really serious in handling the matter," Soleman, a student, said. "If it deceives us again, we'll really protest."

Separately, Maluku Police chief Col. Bugis M. Saman said his officers have so far questioned at least 700 suspects from the religious conflicts. He promised to step up the legal process and bring the suspects to court.

Saman said 321 of the suspects were detained in Ambon and its surroundings, while the rest were from Southeast Sulawesi. In addition, 117 dossiers on the suspects were submitted to the local prosecution, with 64 of them completed by the Ambon District Court.

The suspects received jail terms ranging between three and seven months.(48/swe)