Illegal arms threaten security ahead of polls

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.