'Floating trial' prepared for criminal offenders in Maluku
AMBON, Maluku (JP): Civil emergency administrator Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina said his office was preparing a "floating trial" for criminal offenders in the conflicts which have ravaged the islands.
The trials would be held on board a Naval battleship or civilian vessel guarded by the security forces in a bid to speed up the law enforcement process in Maluku, Latuconsina told journalists here on Wednesday.
The ship will be anchored off the Teluk Ambon Baguala waters.
The trial, however, was still awaiting a further deployment of law enforcers from Jakarta, including judges, police investigators and prosecutors, the governor said.
"We don't have enough officials to handle the many cases," he explained.
According to the governor, the trial cannot be held at Ambon District Court as the venue is located in a restive border area between two warring camps on Jl. Sultan Airun in Pos Kota subdistrict.
"Psychologically, it would be very hard for the judges, the prosecutors and related parties to hold a fair session in a courtroom that is not free from fear, tension and possible dispute.
"A floating trial is the best option. At least the possibility of riots is far less at sea than on land," he added.
According to the Maluku High Court, there are over 200 cases from this year that are ready to go on trial while hundreds more are still being processed, involving both civilians and security personnel.
The cases mostly deal with criminal cases attached to unrest such as murder, illegal possession of weapons, burglary, looting as well as assault and battery.
Those currently being detained are in prisons in Piru district in the western part of Seram island, Saparua and Bandanaira on Banda island.
Muslim prisoners are pooled in Bandanaira while Christians are in Piru and Saparua. All three penitentiaries have about 200 prisoners.
"We cannot possibly detain them in Ambon because the penitentiary in Negri Lama in Baguala district, 14 kilometers east of Ambon, has been gutted by fire," the governor said.
In another development, a total of 650 personnel from the 405th Infantry Battalion (Yonif) from the Diponegoro Military Command were pulled out of Maluku and replaced by the 407th Diponegoro Infantry Batallion on Tuesday.
"From now on, a tight search will be carried out on troops leaving Maluku. We do not want them to carry unnecessary items, such as weapons from outside their units or probably looted goods from the conflicting regions," Pattimura Military Commander Brig. Gen. I Made Yasa said.
"If they fail to show proper documents relating to such belongings, they will be detained and prosecuted by Ambon military police. This is part of the effort to improve the Indonesian Military's tarnished image in Maluku," Yasa said. (49/edt)