Students, officials discuss latest situation in Maluku
AMBON, Maluku (JP): Students of state Pattimura University and the civil emergency authorities on Friday held a dialog to discuss the latest situation in the province.
University rector Mus Huliselan, Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Firman Gani, the Pattimura Military Command's territorial affairs chief Col. Santosa and the intelligence assistant to the Maluku Prosecutor's Office J. Pattirajawane met with some 300 students who demanded real peace and an end to the sporadic conflicts in the islands.
"I disagree with the constant repressive measures being taken in Maluku when what we need is more intensive communications with the grassroots.
"We have to be firm but at the same time the people have to be strong and not easily provoked. No matter how many troops are deployed in the area ... it will not solve things as long as there is no willingness on the part of the locals to jointly end the conflict and reject outside intervention," Firman said.
The general was referring to the latest unrest in the Seram islands during a visit by the Minister of Regional Infrastructure and Settlement and foreign envoys on Wednesday.
"The pattern is always like this: calm in one area, in this case the Ambon islands, but then unrest breaks out in another part of the islands and then troop reinforcements are deployed ... it's a vicious circle," Firman said.
The latest attack took place on the predominantly Christian Alang Asaude village in Piru district in the Seram islands, with the village being raided by armed assailants around 7 a.m. on Wednesday, killing three local residents and severely injuring another.
"The village was assaulted from three directions, namely by sea, land and along mountain tracks," Piru Police subprecinct chief Second Insp. Adolf Baroma said on Friday.
Most of the houses in the village were gutted by fire.
Wednesday's attack was the third on the village since full- scale conflict first broke out on Jan. 19, 1999.
Some 18 soldiers from the 731st/Kabaresi Infantry Battalion who were guarding the village were faced by heavily armed assailants who launched the raid using standard issue weapons, civil emergency administration spokesman John Tomasoa told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
"The attackers were reportedly members of Lasykar Jihad. It is terrible that these people keep on provoking unrest and looking for the chance to create chaos," Tomasoa said by phone from Ambon.
The troops ended up evacuating the residents to Piru town, Piru district while awaiting the arrival of reinforcements.
Later on Wednesday afternoon, a joint platoon made up of reinforcement troops and the troops who were originally guarding the village chased away the attackers and conducted a sweeping operation in the area.
The authorities seized a speedboat belonging to the assailants.
"As from today (Friday), the village will be occupied by troops to prevent the attackers from taking control of it," Tomasoa added.
Some local residents were also saved by passing troops on Friday after hiding in the jungle when the raid took place.
Gen. Firman further said that a combination of repressive measures and the building up of the people's awareness would be much more effective in handling the conflict.
"It's too soon to hope that the Maluku people can forget the tragedy, but they will have to make peace with each other.
"The central government's consistency in its policy towards outsiders creating chaos in Maluku must also be made clear as it will make it easier for the law enforcers to take firm action against such groups," he added. (edt/49)