Students, officials discuss latest situation in Maluku

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)