Second round of troop withdrawal begins in Maluku

AMBON, Maluku (JP): The second round of troop withdrawal from Maluku was held on Wednesday with Battalion 403 of the Central Java's Diponegoro Regional Military Command leaving Halong Naval base, some six kilometers east of Ambon, in a ceremony led by Pattimura military chief of staff Col. Syarifuddin Sumah.

"This battalion has served its duty in Maluku for seven months and we hope that their experience in Maluku will be used to enrich their skills and professionalism as soldiers," Syarifuddin said.

The officer expressed sympathy for three members of the battalion who went missing during an operation to suppress a riot at the border of Siri-Sori Amalatu Islam and Siri-Sori Amapati Kristen on Saparua Tengah island in central Maluku regency on Oct. 7, 2000.

The three missing soldiers were First Sgt. Nanang, First Sgt. Paryono and Pvt. Suyanto.

Acting spokesman of the Pattimura Regional Military Command Capt. Heri Suhardi said separately on Wednesday that the military will continue searching for the missing soldiers although their battalion has returned to Central Java.

"If any of the residents know about what happened to them or even find their skulls and bones.. please report it to us and we will make proper arrangements for their return home," Heri said.

The joint battalions of military and police from Maluku province will be scaled down gradually from 17 to only four by this February.

The latest records reveal that there are around nine military and police battalions in Maluku. These include the 407th battalion of the Diponegoro Regional Military Command, the 521st battalion and the 527th battalion of the Brawijaya Regional Military Command, the 144th battalion of the Sriwijaya Regional Military Command, the 623rd battalion of the Tanjungpura Regional Military Command, two joint security battalions, two Police Mobile Brigade battalions and two companies of Marines.

Meanwhile, two male bodies were found in the Mardika area on Wednesday morning and both were suspected of having been passengers of KM Lambelu who became victims of an attack by thugs on Monday night, an officer guarding the Batu Merah - Mardika border said.

Meanwhile, the results of the probe into the Kesui case, in which a group of villagers living in East Seram island were reportedly forced to convert to Islam through mass circumcision, have been issued by Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina on Tuesday.

"We have conducted a survey of 405 villagers above 13 years of age and the results show that 97 percent altered their religion to Islam due to a lack of personal security if they remained non- Muslim.

"And three percent were forced to convert to Islam as they had their lives on the line," Latuconsina said.

A total of 648 villagers were evacuated from Kesui following the investigation, while the remaining 81 villagers opted to stay with their relatives on the island, he added.

Latuconsina and Pattimura Military Commander Brig. Gen. I Made Yasa were reportedly leaving for Jakarta on Wednesday to report the latest situation in Maluku. (49/edt)