Let there be peace in Maluku

I am surprised at the way the government is handling the sectarian problem in Maluku. It has been more than a month since I started to read about the violence taking place in that region. And new violence has erupted again. Every time violence breaks out, scores of people are killed and many more injured. The worst bloody incident took place on June 20, 2000, claiming about 100 lives. And what has the government done to stop the genocide there? Absolutely nothing! I have been waiting for about a month to see if there is a reaction from the government. All I got was an expression of their anger and regret of the new violence, but no action at all.

Then I can predict that sooner or later there will be no more violence in Maluku and peace will prevail, not because the Maluku people will finally find their own solution, but because the attackers will find nobody left to attack.

LANNY HIDAYAT

Jakarta