Govt delays lifting civil emergency in Maluku
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.