Laskar Jihad members start to upset Papuans: Thaha
Laskar Jihad members start to upset Papuans: Thaha
R.K. Nugroho and Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura/Yogyakarta
Separatist leaders have rejected the presence of the Java-based
Laskar Jihad militant group in the troubled province of Papua,
which they said had sparked disquiet among local people.
At least 200 members of Laskar Jihad arrived in Jayapura six
months ago from Jakarta and have since then been conducting
religious activities in at least three regencies, Sorong, Fak Fak
and Manokwari, areas which play host to Muslim migrants from
other provinces.
Ayip Syafruddin, spokesman for the militant group, said on
Thursday that the arrival of its members was so as to expand "the
organization's wings" in Papua.
"They have set up six regency branches there including ones in
Sorong, Jayapura and Manokwari," he told The Jakarta Post in
Yogyakarta.
He said they were also engaged in propagating Islam and
educational activities, and were publishing bulletins and a
tabloid news sheet for Muslims in the province.
But Muhammad Thaha Al Hamid, secretary general of the pro-
independence Papua Presidium Council (PDP), told the Post that
Laskar Jihad had started to upset Papuans, mostly Christians, as
they were distributing VCD cassettes depicting sectarian fighting
in the Maluku islands.
Laskar Jihad has been blamed for further worsening the
sectarian conflicts in Maluku and Poso regency in Central
Sulawesi, conflicts which killed thousands of people and forced
thousands of others to flee.
Thaha warned that the presence of Laskar Jihad could damage
the close relations between Muslims and Christians, who had been
living together peacefully in the province.
"It's 38 years since Papua became a part of the Indonesian
Republic and there has never been a conflict between Muslims and
Christians. Such a situation should be allowed to continue," he
asserted.
He said that Laskar Jihad's presence in Papua would only
disadvantage the Muslim community itself as it could eventually
spark hatred between Muslims and non-Muslims.
Thaha refrained from calling on local security authorities to
expel Laskar Jihad from the country's easternmost province.
Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika denied that
Laskar Jihad had entered the province, but said: "Those coming
into Papua are members of the Ahlis Sunnah Waljamaah group".
Ahlis Sunnah Waljamaah is a militant Islamic group of which
Laskar Jihad is a part. Its headquarters are in the tourist city
of Yogyakarta.
Pastika said their presence in Papua had officially been
reported to the authorities in the regencies.
He also denied reports that Laskar Jihad was conducting combat
training in Papua.