Police question men from Maluku, East Timor
JAKARTA (JP): Tanjung Priok port police in North Jakarta detained 113 new arrivals for questioning on Friday for possession of sharp weapons and suspicion of intending to cause public disorder.
Seaport police chief Lt. Col. Edward Aritonang identified 13 of the men as residents of riot-torn Maluku and the other 100 as East Timorese residing in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara. The men were arrested as they disembarked from two intra-island motor vessels.
The first 13 men, suspected to have one or two sharp weapons in their possession, were passengers of M.V. Lombelo, which arrived at the port at 3 a.m. from Maluku, he said.
Although the group was still undergoing questioning, Aritonang admitted that preliminary questioning failed to confirm the initial police suspicions.
"We could not find any solid evidence so far that they came here to cause trouble. But they are still detained for further questioning," Aritonang said.
The 100 others were hastily stopped by officers from passing through the port gate immediately after they disembarked from M.V. Dobonsolo, a regularly scheduled motor vessel which serves routes to and from Jakarta and several ports in the eastern part of the country, including Kupang.
The vessel arrived Friday afternoon.
Aritonang said the security officers stopped the East Timorese because they feared the men intended to cause disturbances in the city.
"We were worried that they might have come here on purpose to make trouble. So, I contacted the Jakarta Police chief (Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman) to come by," he explained.
After questioning, the East Timorese, who allegedly did not pay for tickets on the vessel, were finally allowed to enter the city.
Dozens of police and armed military personnel were deployed at the seaport and on board the vessels minutes before the ships docked.
The authorities are afraid that the deadly sectarian clashes which began in Maluku a year ago and flared this week in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, could spread to the capital through the actions of provocateurs.
Noegroho met with the 100 East Timorese and asked them why they traveled to Jakarta.
Some explained that they wanted to report violations allegedly committed by the Australian-led International Force for East Timor (Interfet) to the office of the National Commission on Human Rights.
"If that is the case, then please go ahead. You have every right to (report), but you have to promise me that you people will not create trouble here," Noegroho told them.
He earlier said that he would do his utmost to prevent sectarian unrest in the capital.
"I have commanded my officers to arrest any provocateurs who might want to cause a breach of the peace in my capital. There should be no fights on any issue here." (ylt)