Maluku victims cry for justice

Maluku victims cry for justice

The Jakarta Post, Ambon/Jakarta

Victims of the Soya attack in Ambon handed on Tuesday to
visiting Vice President Hamzah Haz their accounts of the grim
massacre in their village over a month ago.

Jeanne Hitijahubessy, a victim, appealed to Hamzah and the
security authorities to probe the massacre thoroughly and bring
the culprits to justice.

"We are not members of the separatist South Maluku Republic
movement. I myself am a daughter of a senior police officer,"
said Jeanne, breaking into tears.

Jeanne lost her only daughter Irene Silibun, 3, and mother
Lani Hitijahubessy, 48, in the brutal attack.

Predawn attack on Soya village on April 28 left at least 12
people dead and dozens injured, as well as 36 buildings burned,
including an historic church.

Hamzah, who was on a one-day working visit to the troubled
province on Tuesday, held a dialog with residents of Soya
village, some five kilometers from the provincial capital Ambon,
listening attentively to villagers as they recounted what had
happened during the bloody attack.

Visibly touched by the Soya villagers' heart-rending stories,
Hamzah said nobody in his right mind could want such bloodshed to
take place.

"None of us want these bitter incidents to happen. I really
hope they will not happen again," said Hamzah, who is also the
chairman of the Muslim-based United Development Party (PPP).

Hamzah was accompanied by Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina,
National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar and Minister of
Religious Affairs Said Agiel Al-Munawar.

The Vice President visited Soya for around 30 minutes, during
which time he made a short inspection of the 450-year-old church
that was burned down during the pogrom, and donated Rp 100
million (US$ 11,000) for its reconstruction.

Later in the day, Hamzah met with Laskar Jihad members at the
Al-Fatah Mosque, during which meeting some Laskar Jihad activists
surrendered their home-made weapons.

A gang of masked men, wearing military-style fatigues,
attacked Soya village on April 28, shattering the fragile peace
that had begun to take root since the warring parties in Maluku
signed a peace agreement during government-sponsored peace talks
in Malino, South Sulawesi, in February.

The bloodshed came just days after members of the separatist
South Maluku Republic (RMS) organization raised independence
flags in Ambon to mark the movement's 52nd anniversary, which
fell on April 25.

It remains unclear, however, whether the massacre was in
reality triggered by the security force's failure to prevent RMS
activists from hoisting their flags, which angered many Muslims,
especially Laskar Jihad members.

The police have arrested two people believed to have been
responsible for the worsening security situation in Maluku --
Alex Manuputty of the Maluku Sovereignty Forum (FKM), and Ja'far
Umar Thalib of Laskar Jihad. They are currently being detained at
National Police Headquarters in Jakarta.

Hamzah came under fire early in May when he made an official
vice presidential visit to Ja'far in his cell.

Many believed that Hamzah's visit would only interfere in the
ongoing legal process against Ja'far.

Hamzah has also met with Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, leader of the
Solo-based hard-line Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), despite mounting
allegations that the Muslim cleric was linked to the al-Qaeda
international terrorist network.

Meanwhile in Jakarta, Coordinating Minister of Political and
Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that Hamzah's trip
to Maluku had been designed in accordance with the government's
policy on Maluku.

"We designed the trip in such away that it would not create
speculation that government officials have different stances on
how to end the conflict in Maluku," Susilo said.

He insisted that the visit was part of the efforts to put an
end to the religious conflict in Ambon, which has claimed more
than 5,000 lives since it broke out in January 1999, and forced
tens of thousands of residents to flee their homes.

"The visit is aimed at ending the violence, in accordance with
government policy on conflict-affected areas," Susilo said.