Reports of forced conversion in Maluku confirmed: Governor
Reports of forced conversion in Maluku confirmed: Governor
AMBON, Maluku (JP): The administrator of the state of civil
emergency in Ambon, Saleh Latuconsina, confirmed here on
Wednesday some Kesui islanders in Central Maluku had been forced
to convert religion.
Saleh, who is the governor of Maluku, was briefing the media
after meeting with members of a joint team assigned to
investigate a clash on Kesui island.
The joint team found evidence indicating that the islanders
had been forced to convert religion, he said.
The islanders, who refuse the order by certain group of
people, demanded to be taken off of the island, according to the
team.
Saleh told the media the team had evacuated 170 residents of
the ravaged island. "Sixty-three were from Kesui island and 109
from the island of Teor. There are still some 800 people who need
to be transported off the islands, 700 of whom are Kesui
islanders."
"It is not that easy to take people off of the island, but we
have decided that they must be evacuated. We are talking about
people's lives."
The joint team sent to Kesui island consisted of officials
from the National Commission on Human Rights and the local
religious affairs office, as well as members of the civil
emergency administration.
Saleh also denied earlier media reports that 93 Kesui
islanders had been killed in the November clash. "That's totally
incorrect. There were only nine people killed. The refugees told
us about it."
He called on the media not to exaggerate stories. "Please,
don't file reports that can create new problems. Please be wiser
and restrain yourselves."
According to earlier reports, hundreds of Utha villagers on
Kesui island were taken hostage in November by a religious task
force. These hostages were then forced to convert their religion
on the threat of death.
Campaign
Meanwhile, the Makassar branch of the Legal Aid Institute
(LBH) filed a police report against a group of Maluku Muslims for
disrupting a Maluku peace forum on Monday evening.
The chairman of the LBH Makassar branch, Mappinawang, told The
Jakarta Post here on Wednesday he filed a complaint against a man
identified as Kasim Usemahu for deploying people to interrupt the
Baku Bae peace forum, initiated by a group of Muslims and
Christians from Maluku.
"Kasim and his friends seized all the papers to be presented
at the meeting. They tore down the banners. They turned the peace
campaign forum into chaos. We reported Kasim to the police
because he committed an act of anarchy," Mappinawang said.
A private television reported on Wednesday Kasim's group also
threatened the people gathered for the forum, forcing them to
flee the meeting.
Kasim said those involved in the peace campaign were seeking
to profit from the political enterprise, while ignoring the core
problems in Maluku.
The Baku Bae campaign is aimed at bringing about a
reconciliation between Muslims and Christians in Maluku. The
campaign has held events in Yogyakarta and Surabaya without
incident.
According to Kasim, what the people of Maluku need is the
enforcement of the law, not reconciliation. "Just bring to court
those who are instigating the attempt to separate Maluku from the
Republic of Indonesia." (49/27/sur)