Police ban training activities for jihad volunteers

Police ban training activities for jihad volunteers

JAKARTA (JP): The National Police prohibited a Muslim
organization on Wednesday from training volunteers to take part
in a holy war in Maluku.

National Police chief Lt. Gen. Rusdihardjo announced the move
after a Cabinet meeting led by Vice President Megawati
Soekarnoputri.

Rusdihardjo urged Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah Forum, the
organization which has threatened to wage a jihad in Maluku, to
voluntarily cease the training at a campground in Bogor.

He said he was reluctant to use force against the group.
"(But) if they continue, we will take firm action against them."

Rusdihardjo also promised his officers would crack down on the
group's members if they continued to carry sharp weapons during
demonstrations.

The police have been criticized for failing to take action
when the group's sword-wielding members staged protests outside
the Presidential Palace last week and at the House of
Representatives on Monday.

The police were also criticized for allowing the training in
Bogor to proceed even as the government warned of the
implications if the group went ahead with its plan to send
volunteers to Maluku.

Police earlier said they were hesitant to act because the
group was not involved in any illegal activities. The Siliwangi
Military Command overseeing West Java also said it had known of
the group's activities in Bogor for some time but had taken no
action, pointing to the support the group received from local
villagers.

The Muslim group has said it plans to send up to 10,000
trained volunteers to Maluku starting later this month because of
the government's failure to protect Muslims in the province.

More than 2,000 people have died in sectarian clashes between
Muslims and Christians in Maluku since January 1999.

There was no immediate reaction from the group to the police's
ban on their training and the promise to take stern measures
against members who carry weapons during demonstrations. The
forum's leaders have warned against anyone, including the police,
preventing them from going to Maluku, threatening to conduct
their jihad in Java if they are prevented from traveling to
Maluku.

Rusdihardjo showed some hesitation in dealing too sternly with
the group. "We will take some action to stop them from going (to
Maluku), but it will not be repressive action."

Following the Cabinet meeting, Minister of Religious Affairs
Tolchah Hassan said sending armed men to Maluku would only worsen
the conflict. "The situation there is improving, although some
areas in Central Maluku need attention," he said.

Tolchah denounced the group for using Islamic symbols for
their political goals, saying such practices denigrated the
religion.

In Ambon, the Air Force's Eastern Fleet said it was tightening
patrols of the waters surrounding Maluku in anticipation of the
jihad volunteers attempting to enter the province.

"We have been ordered by the Indonesian Military chief to
monitor every ship that comes into the area," Chief of Operations
Rear Marshall Alimunsiri Rappe said.

The fleet operates out of Pattimura Airbase in Ambon and
Morotai Airbase in North Maluku. The Navy's Eastern Armada has
received similar orders.

In Surabaya, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) announced plans for a mass
rally of 200,000 youths to pledge support for President
Abdurrahman Wahid and his efforts to resolve the conflict in
Maluku.

The rally by members of Banser, NU's youth task force, on
April 23 will be held at Brawijaya Military Command Headquarters,
rally organizer M. Rofik said on Wednesday.

The President, who is a former leader of the Muslim
organization, is expected to attend the rally.

M. Rofik, who is also chairman of NU's Ansor youth
organization, said the group was concerned a jihad would cause
greater problems for Maluku and the entire country.

Rofik denied the rally was being backed by the local military
command, saying the use of the command headquarters simply showed
Banser had the cooperation of the military.

Meanwhile, NU East Java chapter chairman Ali Maschan Moesa
said groups calling for a jihad in Maluku did not represent all
Muslims in Indonesia.

He called for a nonviolent approach to resolving the problems
facing the country. (dja/49/nur/sur)