Military authorized to restore peace in Maluku

AMBON, Maluku (JP): Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina confirmed on Tuesday that he had given the military the authority to take the necessary action to restore peace and order in the riot-torn province.

"I have ordered the Pattimura Military Commander to take the necessary action as security commander," Governor Latuconsina said after a media briefing on the investigation into last year's Kesui incident.

A combined battalion comprising personnel from three elite military units, namely the Navy's Marines, Air Force's Paskhas and Army's Kopassus, has been placed directly under the command of the Pattimura Military Commander Brig. Gen. I Made Yasa for the purpose of establishing peace and order in the province.

The combined force conducted a predawn raid on the Hotel Wijaya II on Jan. 22 and apprehended 14 police and military personnel for their alleged involvement in a massive mob attack on a security post near the border of Batu Merah - Mardika in Ambon.

No less than 10 people died in four days of fighting that started on Jan. 19, on the anniversary of the two-year conflict in Maluku which has claimed at least 6,000 lives.

The arrested military personnel allegedly shot at troops who were busy fighting rioters in the Batu Merah - Mardika area.

"I called the governor to coordinate with him about the chaotic situation that erupted on Jan. 19 and he ordered me to take any necessary measures to restore order," Made Yasa said separately in Ambon on Tuesday.

He said that he was in the field in the Batu Merah - Mardika area on Monday (Jan. 22) morning to get first-hand knowledge of the situation.

"I was riding in a bullet-proof Range Rover and the rioters sprayed bullets at my car. So, do not tell me that I've been partial in handling the matter. We'll deal with all rioters, regardless of their religion or background," he said.

Made Yasa said the combined force consisted of crack riot troops to replace the existing joint military-police battalions in Maluku which will be scaled down from 17 to only four by February.

The combined force also seized two SS-1 rifles, four Ruger handguns, an FN pistol, four Colt handguns, a rocket launcher, a combat knife, six magazines for SS-1 rifles, two homemade bombs and two grams of shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine) from the 14 officers.

The arrest of the 14 alleged rogue personnel, however, has drawn controversy with the Muslim side in Ambon as represented by Laskar Jihad Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah, who said that the raid was illegal and that General Made Yasa had breached the authority given to him since "Maluku is under a state of civilian emergency".

"Many civilians became victims during the blitz conducted by the combined force in Batu Merah," Laskar Jihad commander Ja'far Umar Thalib said at a media briefing in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The group demanded that the combined force be pulled out of Maluku and that the Pattimura Military Commander be tried by a military court.

"We also believe that President Abdurrahman Wahid has agreed to the demands of the Christian separatist movement in Maluku and that the government only pretends not to know how to solve the Maluku problem," Ja'far said, adding that currently there were around 3,000 Laskar Jihad members in Maluku and that "they will be withdrawn only when Maluku becomes safe for Muslims."

Back in Ambon, grassroots leaders Agus Wattimena and Herman Nikijuluw issued a statement supporting the neutrality and firmness shown by the combined force in Maluku.

"Why is TNI headquarters only investigating the Batu Merah case? Actually lots of major cases, such as the burning down of three villages in Poka Rumah Tiga, and Pattimura University on July 4, 1999, also involved rogue security forces personnel," Agus said.

In the latest developments, two men identified as Novembri Tuarisa, 26, and Rafael Ferdinandus, 40, were killed by armed mobs in the early hours of Tuesday after disembarking from the KM Lambelu vessel in Yos Sudarso Port in Ambon.

In Hatualang village, Piru district, Seram island, Central Maluku regency, the combined force has seized 620 assembled bombs, 400 rounds of AK ammunition and five bombs of 15 centimeters in diameter, and arrested three alleged raiders and provocateurs from Java. (edt/49)