Govt backs firm action against Ambon provocateurs

Govt backs firm action against Ambon provocateurs

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As if to prove its commitment to law enforcement in Maluku, the
central government has given the green light for authorities to
arrest and charge provocateurs in the troubled province.

Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil expressed support on
Monday for the move taken by security personal in Maluku to
prosecute key figures allegedly responsible for violence in
Maluku.

"I think what the police have done -- arresting South Maluku
Republic (RMS) separatist movement leader Alex Manuputty and
commander of the (Muslim-based) Laskar Jihad organization Ja'far
Umar Thalib -- was correct as there had been intensive
consultation in the Cabinet meetings prior to the arrests,"
Matori said after meeting with President Megawati Soekarnoputri,
along with Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf
Kalla.

Matori was referring to the arrest of Ja'far in Surabaya on
Saturday and the arrest of Alex Manuputty in mid last month.

Meanwhile, Jusuf Kalla said there should have been no problems
with the arrest of Ja'far.

"It (the arrest) is part of efforts to uphold the supremacy of
law ... I have met with Ja'far before and he himself had called
for the importance of legal supremacy in the province," Jusuf
said.

"So, he (Ja'far) must accept the move taken by the Maluku
authorities," he added.

Ja'far was arrested at the Juanda Airport in Surabaya, East
Java, on Saturday on his way to Jakarta from Ambon, the capital
of Maluku.

Matori admitted that there were parties dissatisfied with the
move taken by the Maluku authorities, but said such action was
necessary as long as it complied with existing laws and was
applied to anyone implicated fairly.

"Those inciting unrest in Maluku must be punished," he said.

Later in the day, Matori asked outsiders to leave the conflict
zone in Ambon, saying that security restoration attempts there
were none of their business.

"Many people claim that they promote human rights and
religious cooperation but it is for the sake of their own
political interests. They never think whether their actions have
caused the deaths of others or not," the minister told reporters
prior to attending a security coordination meeting.

"In accordance with the recommendation issued during the
Malino II peace accord, I asked these outsiders to leave the
conflict zone of Ambon because their assistance in maintaining
security is no longer their authority ... it's the responsibility
of the security authorities." Matori said.

Present at the security meeting were, among others, Minister
of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda and National Police chief Gen.
Da'i Bachtiar.

Asked about the alleged involvement of security forces in the
latest violence in Ambon, Matori said: "Stern sanctions must be
imposed on the parties involved in or those who had incited the
violence."

Meanwhile, Da'i Bachtiar maintained that the recent attacks on
Soya village in Ambon had a strong connection to Ja'far's
comments during Friday prayers in Ambon on April 26.

"We don't have to see the impact (of his speech) ... provoking
people is a crime," Da'i said.

Asked whether the videotape, which the police had, could be
considered evidence, Da'i said: "Yes ... a videotape is a lawful
evidence in court."

Unlike Matori, Da'i, however, refused to comment on whether
the police would take the initiative in removing Laskar Jihad
members from the restive area as part of the implementation of
the Malino II peace agreement.

In a related development, a lawyer representing Ja'far said on
Monday that they would file a pretrial lawsuit against Da'i for
the police's decision to arrest Ja'far.

"We'll file the lawsuit with the South Jakarta District Court
for the police's baseless arrest (on Ja'far Umar Thalib),"
Mahendradatta said.

Meanwhile, a leader of the Pemuda Ka'bah Muslim Youth Movement
asked security authorities to release Ja'far if they did not have
enough evidence to support the allegations.

"If the police do not have strong evidence against him, Ja'far
should be released," said Lukman Hakim Hasibuan after meeting
with Vice President Hamzah Haz at the vice presidential palace.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Saleh Saaf said on
Saturday that Ja'far would be charged with Article 160 of the
Criminal Code on agitation and Article 130 of the Code on
slanderous remarks against the president and vice president.