Military assumes security control in Maluku province
Military assumes security control in Maluku province
JAKARTA (JP): In the wake of heightened violence in Maluku,
the military on Monday said it had taken over security command
from the police and deployed another 1,100 soldiers to the riot-
torn province.
"Security control is now under the Pattimura Military
Command," military spokesman Maj. Gen. Sudrajat said here.
An additional 500 soldiers from the 303 Army's Strategic
Reserves Command (Kostrad) from Bandung arrived in Ambon on
Monday, raising the number of soldiers in the province to 2,000.
They were bolstered with the arrival of two armored vehicles
and 17 transport trucks.
"The status of soldiers being sent to Ambon is as military
assistance for the local security personnel," Sudrajat explained.
Spokesman for the Pattimura Military Command Lt. Col. Iwa
Budiman said in Ambon that more reinforcements were on the way.
He said there was another detachment of about 100 soldiers
from the Army's Cavalry and 500 marines were scheduled to arrive
in the near future.
About 40 people have been killed in an upsurge of sectarian
clashes since Friday. Communal clashes have racked the province,
leaving over 550 dead since January.
Despite the reinforcements, some have doubted the ability of
the military to quell the violence. There are accusations that
the military personnel stationed in the province have been
involved in aggravating the violence.
Maluku Military Commander Brig. Gen. Max Tamaela conceded on
Sunday that "certain irresponsible elements of the Indonesian
Military or police" may have been involved in the unrest.
He said he ordered the military police to investigate the
accusations, but they had yet to find any evidence.
Tense
The situation in Ambon remained tense on Monday after the
latest bloody incident.
Tension escalated amid rumors the Maluku provincial council
speaker, Z. Sahuburua, who is currently in Jakarta, had suggested
the government impose a military operation status (DOM) in Ambon.
A non-governmental group, the Maluku Humanitarian Care
Movement, strongly protested the purported proposal.
"A DOM status will not solve the problems here. It will only
raise new problems. We should learn from Aceh. Without DOM, we
have already suffered many victims, what would happen if DOM is
really imposed here," the group's leader, Yosiah Polnaya, said.
In Jakarta, Sahuburua said his presence here was to raise
awareness and seek a solution to the crisis in the province.
During his discussion with reporters, he did not mention the
issue of imposing the military operation status.
Sahuburua stressed the need for Vice President Megawati
Soekarnoputri to visit Ambon as she was instructed by President
Abdurrahman Wahid to help resolve the crisis.
"Megawati's presence can heal the suffering of the Ambonese.
They feel that they are being neglected by the government," he
said as quoted by Antara.
Military spokesman Sudrajat argued that Megawati's presence,
or even that of Abdurrahman, in Maluku would do little to stop
the clashes.
He called for a comprehensive solution whereby clashes should
be halted and then reconciliation forged among the hostile
groups.
He advocated the need for territorial separation between rival
factions in Ambon in order to prevent a further escalation of
problems.
"But all elements, judicative, legislative and the executive,
should take part in the process of finding a solution," the two-
star general said, without mentioning the role of the
military. (48/emf)