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.