Djoko sworn in as new Pattimura Military chief
The Jakarta Post, Ambon/Jakarta
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto swore in on Thursday Maj. Gen. Djoko Santoso as the new Pattimura Military commander, replacing Brig. Gen. Mustopo to oversee the strife-ridden islands of Maluku.
The former commander of the second division of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) will also be in charge of security restoration operations in the eastern island chain, where a Christian-Muslim conflict has been raging since January 1999.
The modest induction ceremony, held at the Pattimura Regional Command Headquarters in Ambon, was witnessed by the province's civil emergency administration head Governor Saleh Latuconsina.
Djoko will be assisted by a one-star police officer as his deputy, who remained unnamed.
Endriartono told the ceremony that the religious conflict in Maluku that has resulted in the deaths of about 6,000 people must be put to an end soon.
"Have we all, as religious people, lost our conscience? I believe we still have this sense. We can still differentiate between good and bad, and feel the suffering of others as our own," said Endriartono, who will soon be installed as the Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander replacing Adm. Widodo A.S.
Endriartono underlined the need for the local military to cooperate with the police and other relevant parties in preventing more clashes.
"Only if the law is enforced consistently we can contribute to restoring peace in Maluku," he said.
Speaking after his induction, Djoko said he would strengthen cooperation with the Maluku Police, but he did not outline his action plan to end the conflict.
Asked whether reinforcements were being planned for the troubled eastern province, he said: "Not yet. We will see the situation later".
The establishment of the Maluku Security Restoration Command has sparked criticism from military and defense analysts who have accused the government of "imposing martial law by stealth" in the restive islands.
Senior government and military officials flatly denied the accusation despite the fact that the move allowed the Pattimura military commander to take over control of day-to-day security from the Maluku Police chief under the civil emergency administration.
Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno insisted on Thursday the military and police in Maluku would still be overseen by the governor as chief of the civil emergency administration.
"Because Maluku is under civil emergency law, the military and police cannot act without the consent of the governor," he said in Jakarta.
TNI Commander Adm. Widodo A.S. echoed Hari's words, saying: "The structure of the security restoration command is entirely within the authority of the civil emergency administration".