Peace returns to Ambon after clash
Peace returns to Ambon after clash
Oktovianus Pinontoan, The Jakarta Post, Ambon
A minor clash on Saturday failed to prevent Muslims and
Christians in the city of Ambon in Maluku province from
continuing to mend fences after years of violence.
Public activities across the town returned to normal on
Sunday, with people from both communities gathering in small
groups and talking with each other.
The roads leading east out of Ambon via the Galunggung and
Batumerah areas, which had been closed due to the violence, were
reopened. City minibuses and other vehicles were able to use the
roads with no trouble.
And Christian motorists were able to pass freely along roads
leading west out of the city via the Pohon Mangga and Airsalobar
areas.
This allowed residents the opportunity to visit the resort
area of Latulahat village, several kilometers west of Ambon.
In the city center, particularly the areas along Jl. A.M.
Sangadji, Sultan Hairun, Dr. Tamaela and Diponegoro, many Muslims
and Christians mixed in small groups, sitting together, talking
and laughing.
The Pos Kota crossroads area located on Jl. A. Y. Patty, which
was the site of the violence on Saturday, was calm, with
Christians staging a convoy of cars and motorcycles on the road.
The city's shopping centers, including Ambon Plaza -- which
has been a favorite gathering spot for Muslims and Christians
since last Thursday -- were flooded again by the once-warring
people.
At least five people were wounded and four motorcycles were
burned on Saturday after a group of drunken school students
pelted stones at participants of a peace rally in Ambon.
The attack was apparently an attempt to disrupt the peaceful
celebrations by Muslims and Christians, who were marking a recent
peace accord with a parade.
Local authorities and leaders of the two religions, who signed
the pact on Feb. 12, blamed the mayhem on provocateurs. They
pledged not to stop their joint efforts to restore peace in
Maluku despite a small group of people who oppose the agreement.
They also condemned the violence and demanded that the
perpetrators who incited the incident be identified.
"The incident was not between groups of Christians and
Muslims. This was proven when Christians trapped in Ambon Plaza
were protected by their Muslim brothers," Maluku Governor Saleh
Latuconsina said on Sunday.
He said the provocateurs exploited schoolchildren to spark the
unrest by providing them with free liquor.
"The facts obtained in the field show this to be true. The
students were provoked to foment violence after being given
alcohol free of charge."
The governor said he would ban the distribution of liquor in
the province and appealed to locals to suspend convoys and
parades for an indefinite period.
He also said efforts would continue to spread the details and
the outcome of the peace agreement, although these efforts might
face yet another challenge from a small group of people.
As the chief of the civil emergency status in Maluku, Saleh
ordered the local military and police to arrest passers-by found
carrying sharp weapons in the streets and other public places.
Daud Sangadji, one of the accord signatories from the Muslim
side, urged the Maluku civil emergency authorities to publicly
announce the masterminds behind the incident on Saturday, who he
said exploited the peaceful celebrations to provoke the people
for their own political interests.
"It was not a conflict between the two communities, but it
involved only a handful of people who do not want to see peace in
Maluku," he said.
Two Christian leaders, Emang Nikijuluw and Femmy Souisa, who
were also among the signatories of the peace pact, made a similar
demand.
They said the provocateurs must be identified as they had
incited the people for their own political gains.