Illegal arms threaten security ahead of polls

Muhammad Azis Tunny and Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Ambon/Palu

A senior officer of Pattimura military command predicted on Wednesday that some 300 firearms were still in the hands of civilians in Maluku province, which could pose a significant threat to security for the upcoming elections.

"The weapons could be used by irresponsible parties to stir chaos in the province," said Col. Sujadmoko, the deputy chief of intelligence at the military command overseeing Maluku.

The circulation of the firearms, was according to him, one of five factors that could potentially incite mass demonstrations of violence in the formerly riot-torn province during elections this year.

The other factors he mentioned were provocation among members of political parties, bomb attacks, poll boycotts and separatist attempts to foil the elections.

Maluku has been rocked by sectarian violence since 1999. Thousands of Muslims and Christians were killed in the sectarian conflict, while hundreds of thousands of others fled to other areas, to avoid becoming victims of the bloodshed.

Riots in Maluku largely subsided last year, and people there can enjoy a relatively peaceful lifestyle.

But, in some parts of Maluku, community members still keep sharp weapons or firearms by their sides.

Currently, police and military personnel conduct regular searches of local residents' houses, hoping to find weapons.

Separately in the Central Sulawesi province, another formerly riot-torn province, police personnel have already upped security in Morowali and Poso regencies in preparation for the elections.

The chief of Central Sulawesi provincial police, Brig. Gen. Taufik Ridha, said that the police would deploy 3,467 of Central Sulawesi's 4,764 police personnel during the elections in the two regencies.

"We will not take any risks," he said.