More troops pulled from Maluku

More troops pulled from Maluku

AMBON, Maluku: More troops were withdrawn from Maluku in response
to the prevailing peace in the formerly riot-torn province.

As of Thursday, two battalions of Army soldiers from Jakarta
and East Kalimantan, and a company from the Brawijaya Military
Command in Surabaya, returned home after a 15-month tour in
Maluku. One battalion consists of about 600 troops and one
company consists of some 100 troops.

"The number of troops stationed in Maluku is gradually being
reduced as security improves. But the Indonesian Military and the
police are still maintaining a presence in areas prone to
sectarian conflict," said Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen.
Adityawarman on Friday evening.

Maluku province was rocked by sectarian violence between 1999
and 2002 that killed thousands of people. The violence forced
hundreds of thousands of residents to flee their homes. -- JP