Djoko sworn in as new Pattimura Military chief

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".