Military stages war games in Ambon

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.