Shoot-on-sight order issued to stop Ambon violence

Shoot-on-sight order issued to stop Ambon violence

AMBON, Maluku (JP): Chief of Pattimura Military Command
overseeing Maluku Brig. Gen. Max Tamaela issued a shoot-on-sight
order on Friday to stop continued violence, which has claimed
four more lives.

Following sniper attacks, an operation to confiscate weapons
was jointly conducted by military and police in several tall
buildings situated on, among others, Jl. A.Y. Patty, Jl. A.M.
Sangaji, Jl. Sultan Khairun, Jl. Anthoni Rebhok and Jl. Pahlawan
Revolusi.

The downtown streets have been the battleground for groups of
Muslims and Christians since fights first broke out on Tuesday.
As of Friday, the clashes have claimed at least 31 lives and
injured no less than 100 people as of Friday.

"The strict measure is needed because many civilians and
members of the security forces have fallen victims to snipers,"
Tamaela said as quoted by military spokesman Col. Iwa Budiman on
Friday.

Earlier on Thursday night, Tamaela expressed regret over the
renewed conflict and blamed the worsening situation on security
troops' lack of firmness when dealing with rioters.

Upon his arrival from Jakarta, where he met with President
Abdurrahman Wahid for talks on Ambon and emergency steps to
handle the Laskar Jihad (Jihad Force), Tamaela said his top
priority was to end the conflict.

"I'd rather not talk about the Laskar Jihad now. The concrete
actions needed are to prevent riots from spreading and to regain
control over the situation.

"There are strong indications that they (Laksar Jihad members)
are involved, but I do not want to go into details because it may
only heat things up. We want to cope with the violence first," he
said.

Tamaela, who returned to the city by plane on Thursday, had to
reach Ambon by speedboat from the airport, because of high
tension in the Laha residential area on the road to Pattimura
Airport.

Spokesman for the provincial administration Isaack Semima said
on Friday Tamaela and provincial police chief Brig. Gen. Dewa
Astika accompanied by Governor Saleh Latuconsina met with
Indonesian Military Chief Adm. Widodo A.S, who made a brief
stopover from Jayapura in Irian Jaya en route to Jakarta.

An estimated 2,000 members of Laskar Jihad Ahlus Sunnah Wal
Jamaah Communication Forum have streamed into Ambon since late
last month.

Despite the group's claim that they would conduct humanitarian
activities here, local community and religious leaders as well as
Maluku residents have been unnerved by their presence.

Minister of Home Affairs Surjadi Soedirdja had asked the group
to cancel their trip, warning them against undermining the peace
that had been maintained for the last several months.

Violence continued in several parts of Ambon on Friday. A
sniper attack claimed the live of an Army non-commissioned
officer Pvt. Gempur Warsito.

Gempur was shot along with Second. Lt. Syamsir, a platoon
commander from the 405 Diponegoro Infantry Battalion, when they
tried to disperse mobs who were attempting to enter Ahussen
subdistrict around 6 a.m. local time. Both were rushed to Dr.
Latumeten Military Hospital, but Gempur died later in the day.

John Lekawael, from Ahuru, was found dead with slash wounds on
Friday following a fight in the area a day earlier.

Commercial flights from Pattimura Airport were temporarily
stopped on Friday following a mob attack which killed two people
in a nearby area earlier in the day. (48/49/edt)