Military stages war games in Ambon
Oktavianus Pinontoan, The Jakarta Post, Ambon
A total of 2,762 soldiers of the Fast Reaction Force (PPRC; a combined force of Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel) on Saturday staged a war game here, simulating the occupation of sectarian, conflict-ridden Ambon by a separatist movement. Their mission: to retake control from the separatists.
At 7:00 a.m. local time, two PPRC battalions, whose personnel were taken from the Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) Airborne Infantry Battalion and the Air Force's elite unit (Paskas), jumped out of four Hercules C-130 cargo aircraft at 150 feet and infiltrated Pattimura airport, which was controlled by the "enemy".
All personnel, armed with automatics and M-16 machine guns, fired at the airport's main building and arrested a number of "rebels" who posed as guards in the building.
Meanwhile, more than 470 marine soldiers, who were transported by battleships KRI Teluk Mandar and KRI Teluk Sampit from the Naval base in Surabaya, made a landing with amphibious tanks, armored vehicles, and rubber boats at Natsepa Beach, a popular tourist resort on the island. The tanks, armored vehicles, and battleships were deployed to destroy the rebels' coastal defenses.
In accordance with the military operation's tactics, the combat soldiers were able to retake control of the island in a relatively short time.
The one-hour preliminary exercise to the war game, which attracted the attention of locals both Muslims and Christians, was conducted in the presence of Indonesian Military Commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, Navy Chief Admiral Bernard Sondakh, Air Force Chief Marshal Chappy Hakim, Pattimura Military Command Chief Maj. Gen. Djoko Santoso, Maluku Police Chief Brig. Gen. Bambang Sutrisno, Governor Saleh Latuconsina, Chairman of the Maluku legislature Etty Sahuburua, and Ambon Mayor Yopi Papilaya.
Kostrad Chief Lt. Gen. Bibit said the exercises, scheduled to end on Tuesday, was aimed at improving PPRC's professionalism in handling separatist activities, and that it had no relevance to the tense situation on Ambon Island.
"With these exercises, all personnel of the PPRC will be ready to handle separatist movements anywhere in the country," he said, adding that the PPRC would hold a similar war game in Papua in mid-January 2003.
The central government has extended the civilian state of emergency that has been imposed since June 2001, due to the continued tension in the Maluku provincial capital.
Governor Saleh Latuconsina admitted recently that all sectors of society, including indigenous personnel of the local military and police, and hardline groups from the two conflicting sides, were involved in the conflict that has claimed more than 6,000 lives and displaced thousands of others since it erupted on Jan. 19, 1999.
"We hope that with the military exercise, the situation in Ambon will gradually return to normal so that we can rehabilitate all facilities which were damaged during the conflict, and all people can live a normal life, as it was in the past," said Bibit.