Soldiers told to remain impartial in troubled Maluku

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Admiral Widodo A.S. on a brief visit to Ambon told soldiers to remain impartial and act professionally during their mission in strife-torn Maluku.

In his address to troops at Ambon Bay, the admiral also ordered them to safeguard vital public utilities, mosques, churches and other sensitive areas.

"All TNI and police personnel who are assigned to handle riots here must be able to act professionally and impartially," Widodo said as quoted by Antara.

The role of the military and police in Maluku has been under close scrutiny as many have accused them of being impartial in handling the unrest and at times even helping to escalate the violence.

Resentment toward the military was quickly evident as dozens of protesters greeted the military chief with jeers.

The protesters attempted to stop Widodo's convoy, which included newly-installed National Police chief Lt. Gen. Rusdihardjo, but could not break through the tight security ring.

Pattimura Military Commander Brig. Gen. Max Tamaela had deployed layers of troops and armored vehicles along the route from Pattimura Airport to the city center to secure his commander's arrival.

Several helicopters and a Navy warship were also on standby.

Apart from Ambon, Widodo also visited Ternate, North Maluku, where the violence has now extended to.

The turbulence initially began in the greater Ambon area, but soon spread to become a religious conflict which has enveloped almost the whole of Maluku.

Task Force

Meanwhile, a group of Christian Protestant church leaders from North Maluku met with President Abdurrahman Wahid in Jakarta and urged him to impose stricter security arrangements to halt the bloodshed.

"I think we all support a tighter security structure to accelerate a settlement of the unrest," head of the Indonesian Synod of Bible Churches in Halmahera island A.N. Aesh said after meeting with the President at the Bina Graha presidential office on Monday.

The task force, set up by Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina to solve the crisis, also urged Abdurrahman to facilitate negotiations between Maluku community leaders and government representatives.

Separately, the chairman of the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI), Sularso Sopater, said sectarian clashes in the last six months has claimed 3,027 lives in North Maluku alone.

PGI claimed it had gathered information from a number of Alert Posts across North Maluku.

He refused to say whether they had identified the religions of those who had died. "Humans of any religion or race are equally valuable and important".

He said PGI and several other religious groups had also formed a reconciliation team as a complementary effort to solve the year-long riots.

"The team consists of 12 non-Ambonese from PGI, the Indonesian Ulema's Council (MUI) and the Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI)," he said.

Senior MUI official Umar Shihab separately told The Jakarta Post that the council would support efforts for reconciliation, but so far he had no direct knowledge of the council's involvement in the PGI reconciliation team.

In Surakarta, Central Java, House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung reiterated that the government must take firm action in resolving the Maluku riots.

Akbar further asserted that it was impossible for the clashes to be resolved by the people alone without the government's intervention.

"Our society is still in a transition period from the New Order regime to the reform era. People badly need guidance here," he said.

Abdurrahman during a visit to Ambon in December said the people of Maluku themselves had to resolve their bloody dispute.

According to Akbar, the House would further consult on the matter with the government in a meeting slated for Jan. 27.

Separately, in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi, students and youths grouped under the North Maluku Forum staged a protest in front of the state-owned shipping company PT Pelni, demanding the company reopen its services to Maluku.

"Such action is inhumane. Think about the people who are being trapped on the islands," shouted the protesters.

The group threatened to hijack PT Pelni ships if services were not reopened.

PT Pelni halted services to Ternate and other destinations in Maluku after one of their ships was recently hijacked. (48/har/27/04/edt/prb)