Government to lift emergency in North Maluku

Government to lift emergency in North Maluku

JAKARTA (JP): The government will lift the civil state of
emergency in North Maluku in December, but in the neighboring
province of Maluku it will be maintained, pending the restoration
of law and order there.

"The state of emergency in North Maluku would be revoked at
the end of the year after all refugees who had fled the than
strife-torn province had returned safely to their homes,"
Coordinating Minister for Political, Social, and Security Affairs
Agum Gumelar told a media conference.

"We are, however, contemplating whether to lift the state of
emergency in Maluku as the security situation there has not yet
been stable."

North Maluku is preparing for a gubernatorial election, which
is scheduled to take place later this month.

The government imposed on the civil emergency status in the
Malukus in July last year, following months of clashes between
Muslims and Christians that first erupted in January 1999.

Sparked by a trivial dispute, open hostility between members
of the two communities quickly spread to other islands in Maluku.

More than 5,000 people have been killed so far in violence
that has also left more than half-a-million refugees and
widespread destruction.

Agum led a ministerial meeting on Tuesday on political,
social, and security affairs, which also discussed the latest
development in Aceh and Irian Jaya.

He said the decision on Maluku was taken despite a request
from the province's governor and civilian emergency ruler Saleh
Latuconsina that the government partially lift the status for
regencies in Southeast Maluku and West Maluku, where peace had
been restored.

The government, Agum added, will take all necessary measures
to reestablish security in Maluku, including regular checks on
incoming people and searches for illegal weapons possessed by any
groups.

"Security personnel in Maluku will continue the sweeping of
armed civilians from any groups involved in the conflict," Agum
said.

In the latest burst of violence in Maluku, at least 20 people,
including an Army Special Force (Kopassus) soldier, were killed
when an Army joint-battalion clashed with armed civilians between
June 12 and June 14 in Galunggung and Kebon Cengkih in Ambon.

Chief of Pattimura Military Command overseeing Maluku, Brig.
Gen. I Made Putu Yasa, was replaced by Brig. Gen. Mustopo
following the incident.

Both the National Commission on Human Rights and the
Indonesian Military (TNI) have formed their own fact-finding team
to investigate possible crimes against humanity in the clash,
following reports that security troops had attacked a medical
clinic belonging to Laskar Jihad Muslim group.

Kopassus chief Maj. Gen. Amirul Isnaeni defended the attack,
saying that it was targeting armed rioters who were believed to
use the clinic as their hideout.

"They use clinics or even mosques as their shelters after
mounting attacks on our troops. In such an unconventional war,
the military are allowed to raid those places," Amirul said.
(tso)