Govt delays lifting civil emergency in Maluku

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Violence in the province of Maluku has abated since warring sides signed a peace accord early this year and Islamic militants left the province, officials said, adding, however, that the civil emergency was still necessary for now.

The leader of a government team evaluating security in Maluku, Maj. Gen. (ret.) I Wayan Karya said that security in both provinces of Maluku and North Maluku had been improving.

"There are a number of sporadic incidents that sometimes involve the Christian and Muslim communities. But they have little impact on the public," Wayan told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

He said the last security assessment was conducted in November.

Reports of fighting have declined after three years of interreligious clashes, since a 1999 riot in the Maluku capital town of Ambon.

Throughout the conflict, more than 9,000 died with victims falling evenly on both sides. Thousands became refugees, and Ambon was divided into Christians and Muslim sections.

Worsening the conflict, thousands of members of the militant group Laskar Jihad entered the two provinces to fight alongside Muslims in late 1999.

In July 2000, the government imposed a state of civil emergency on Maluku and North Maluku and barred the entrance of outsiders to prevent the conflict from worsening.

Under the civil emergency, the local administration may ban public gatherings, restrict media coverage and impose curfews.

To date, the civil emergency remains in effect in both provinces.

Security gradually improved throughout 2001, helping the government broker a peace agreement in February the following year.

And since the majority of locals back the peace accord it has helped further reduce the incidence of violence. But sporadic bloodshed and bomb attacks continue on a lesser scale.

"People here are tired of all this," said Ishaak Sailima, a spokesperson at Maluku's local administration.

Peace gained another boost when days after the Oct. 12 Bali bombing, Laskar Jihad dissolved itself and ceased its operation in Maluku.

Since then, some 2,000 Laskar Jihad members left Maluku and North Maluku, said Wayan. Around 1,000 inactive members are still present, he said.

Last month's arrest of militant Christian leader Berti Lauputy in the Central Java town of Surakarta was also helpful, Wayan added.

Police arrested Berti for his alleged involvement in a fire that destroyed the governor's office in Maluku early this year.

They have also linked him to an attack against the Soya Christian village that killed 12 people in May 2002.

Berti's role in the attack has called into question his motives and a high ranking military source admitted that he was under the military's payroll. They turned him over to the police after he became "unmanageable", the source said.

The government has delayed the gubernatorial election to replace Saleh Latuconsina due to fears that fresh violence may break out and many sides have called on political parties to stay alert in nominating their candidates in the election.

With conditions gradually normalizing, Ishaak and Wayan said that North Maluku should be freed of its civil emergency status. The central government is now considering the move.

Maluku and its capital Ambon however should remain under the civil emergency administration, they added.

"There are some areas we still consider unsafe: Ambon and the Seram Island," Wayan said.

According to him, the upcoming gubernatorial election to replace the current care-taker government could renew rifts.

Ishaak added that disputes over land, the income gap among the people, simmering ethnical and religious distrust could lead to new conflicts.