Governor links Laskar Jihad to Soya attack

Governor links Laskar Jihad to Soya attack

The Jakarta Post, Ambon

Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina intimated that the Laskar Jihad
paramilitary fighters, whose presence in Maluku is apparently
supported by many Muslims who reside in Maluku, was closely
linked with the deadly attack in Soya Village on Sunday.

"The Soya tragedy had to do with the provocation by the
chairman of an extreme group who addressed a mass gathering held
a day before the incident," he said after meeting with a central
government delegation at his office here on Wednesday.

He was referring to Laskar Jihad Chairman Djafar Umar Thalib,
a Java-based Muslim extremist, who delivered his address at an
illegal rally at the Al-Fatah Mosque in the city last Friday,
only two days before the bloody attack.

During that rally, he and his followers lambasted the security
authorities for failing to prevent the separatist group, the
South Maluku Republic's (RMS) supporters from raising the RMS
flag, and called for a "people's war" as well as a holy war
against the separatist movement, who are mostly Christians
originally from Maluku.

There is no concrete evidence as yet to link Laskar Jihad to
the massacre, but several witnesses claimed that they were
responsible. In addition to the 14 deaths and dozens injured, one
of the oldest churches in Asia was destroyed.

The governor said he and other local officials discussed, with
the central government delegation, the two recent problems --the
Soya attack and RMS' celebration on April 25 -- and on the
necessary actions that would be taken against the two "extremist
groups".

"We are now facing two major problems, namely the RMS and
another radical group. We have arrested RMS Chairman Alex
Manuputty and 17 RMS supporters who put their flags up. Then we
discussed what actions would be taken against the radical group
which was allegedly involved in the Soya tragedy," he said.

Latuconsina admitted that the security authorities were
reluctant to arrest Djafar due to fears of a violent reaction
from them, a strong indication of the weakness of the law
enforcement under the current state of civil emergency.

"The law has been enforced but all decisions made under the
state of civil emergency have yet to be fully executed," he said,
but quickly claimed that this did not mean that the civilian
administration was ineffective.

The authorities continue to remain silent on whether or not to
expel Laskar Jihad from the province.

Latuconsina was speechless when asked about the necessity of
replacing the chief of the military command and that of the
Provincial Police to create better cooperation and effectiveness,
as had been suggested by some.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri has ordered the Maluku
authorities to strictly enforce the law, instead of requesting
martial law which could result in more suffering.

She also warned authorities to act sternly against those
responsible for the Soya massacre, and that any government
official who did not comply with all the decisions under the
state of civil emergency would be replaced.

Meanwhile in Jakarta, Nadhlatul Ulama (NU) Chairman Hasyim
Muzadi urged the President to get tough with all troublemakers,
especially the pro-independence Maluku Sovereignty Forum (FKM)
and Laskar Jihad.

Speaking to journalists after meeting Megawati on Wednesday at
her official residence, Hasyim said that it was vital for top
security officials in Maluku to use their authority to secure the
province.

"I told the President that tough measures must be taken
against Laskar Jihad and the separatist movements...there should
be no discrimination in facing those groups," Hasyim said.