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AMBON, Maluku: More troops were withdrawn from Maluku in response to the prevailing peace in the formerly riot-torn province.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