Peace campaign begins in Ambon
Peace campaign begins in Ambon
Oktavianus Pinontoan, The Jakarta Post, Ambon
On Friday, amid a calm atmosphere in Ambon, the Maluku
provincial capital, the members of the Christian delegation to
the Malino peace talks began relating the details of their accord
with their Muslim rivals to clergy and religious leaders.
The 35-member Christian delegation, led by Tony Pariela,
explained the two-day Malino meeting, and the peace accord it
yielded, to hundreds of Christian and Catholic priests at the
Maranatha Church in the city.
The delegation was scheduled to hold several such meetings to
socialize the peace accord to Christian and Catholic adherents
elsewhere in the city on Saturday.
The members of the Muslim delegation have yet to announce when
they would follow suit, apparently because of the rejection they
had received from certain Muslim groups.
Some 30 local Muslims staged a demonstration near the
Pattimura airport in protest of the peace accord when the
delegates arrived there.
Several even pelted stones at cars carrying the delegates from
the airport to the governor's office. They rejected the peace
accord which required all militiamen, including members of Laskar
Jihad, to leave the province.
On Wednesday, two bombs exploded in the Mardika-Batumerah
subdistricts but, so far, no groups have claimed responsibility.
The peace accord, which also required a thorough investigation
into the supporters of the RMS (South Maluku Republic) separatist
movement and of the Maluku Sovereignty Front (FKM), has stirred
confusion and anger among Maluku Christians because they did not
support the two underground organizations.
During the Malino peace talks, the two opposing delegations
agreed to spend three months socializing the peace accord with
their own supporters.
Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina and Deputy Governor Paula
Renyaan were scheduled to socialize the peace accord among civil
servants at their own office in the city on Saturday.
The local administration, in cooperation with local security
personnel, was also slated to campaign for the peace accord,
explaining it to students -- from the elementary to the
university level -- as well as non-governmental organizations,
and political parties in the province.
Meanwhile, Maluku Provincial police chief Brig. Gen. Soenarko
Danu Ardianto reiterated that security forces would take strict
action against all people and groups caught violating the peace
accord and the rule of law.
"Both the police and the local military will take tough
measures against any actions that oppose the peace accord," he
said.
The 11-point peace accord, he added, was expected to end the
three-year-old sectarian conflict that has claimed thousands of
lives, an untold amount of money in material losses, as well as
immeasurable psychological trauma among the local civilian
population.
"Therefore, both rival factions and security authorities must
make a strong commitment to abide by the peace accord for the
sake of the province's future and humanity," he said.
"All sides should work hand in hand to make the peace pact a
success," he added.