Jihad Force in Maluku illegal: Juwono

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono said the Indonesian Military and National Police would no longer tolerate the Jihad Force's armed activities in the country.

"We, the military and the police, will deal sternly with the force's actions," Juwono said on Tuesday on the sidelines of a seminar on management conflict here.

Juwono said he would ask the National Police chief and the Indonesian Military commander to pursue stern legal action against armed civilian forces anywhere in the country.

"No force, by any name, should be allowed to challenge the authority of the government. No armed civilian force can ever be allowed to do something like that," he said.

The minister said the military should remove armed civilians from Maluku as quickly as possible. The presence of Jihad Force volunteers in the volatile Maluku provinces has sparked controversy, with government officials, including Juwono, accusing them of worsening the situation there.

The leaders of the group have ignored calls for them to leave Maluku, saying it was unfair treatment of volunteers who were engaged in a humanitarian mission.

Meanwhile, as part of the effort to deal with the protracted conflict in Maluku, Pattimura Military Commander Brig. Gen. I Made Yasa ordered the Zipur V battalion back to its barracks in the East Java Brawijaya Military Command. The battalion was alleged to have taken "a partial stance" in handling the conflict and to have involved themselves in attacks in the disputed areas of Diponegoro, Mangga Dua and Airmata Cina on July 20.

The troops were sent back to East Java on Friday aboard a naval warship, Yasa said.

"I've filed reports with their superiors and legal action will be taken according to procedures," he said.

Yasa said he had received complaints from Maluku residents about the behavior of the troops and had been collecting information related to the incidents.

Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Firman Gani hailed the move, saying the local authorities had pledged to expel all "unwanted outsiders or parties", including members of the country's security forces and the Jihad Force, who instigated unrest.

"We are also prepared if it turns out there is a hostile reaction from those parties. We are ready expel them by force if necessary.

"In line with that, the elite National Police Mobile Brigade will receive around 16,000 new weapons to be distributed to police personnel in Maluku, Irian Jaya and Aceh. The guns come from Russia and China," Firman said.

Separately, the executor of the civil emergency status in Maluku, Governor Saleh Latuconsina, asserted on Tuesday that negotiations between him and the warring Muslim and Christian camps were underway.

"I already have had four meetings with the Christian camp and three meetings with the Muslim group. Next week we plan to have a joint meeting between the two conflicting camps.

"In the meantime, those unwanted outsiders must leave Maluku immediately so the situation will be much more calm and conducive for holding peace talks," Latuconsina said.

Meanwhile, the secretary of the Indonesian Ulemas Council in Maluku, Malik Selang, said he supported civil emergency authorities' efforts to remove Laskar Jihad from the area.

"But I think the conflicts have been going on in Maluku long before the arrival of Laskar Jihad. They are not the cause of the problem here.

"So if they are expelled, isn't it a violation of human rights because people are allowed to travel wherever they wish?" Malik said.

Meanwhile, Governor Latuconsina issued on Tuesday an official warning to two local dailies in Maluku, Suara Maluku and Siwa Lima, for using language that "can increase the emotions of the people and for condemning the security forces in Maluku". (49/edt/dja)