Tension grips Ambon after shooting

Tension grips Ambon after shooting

M. Aziz Tunny, Ambon

A volley of gunfire shattered the calm in Ambon on Sunday night,
instilling fear once again in residents of the beleaguered city.

The incident seriously wounded Raymond Kaya and a nine-year-
old boy, Henry Pentury. The shooting was the most serious
incident since disturbances in April killed dozens of Ambon
residents and left hundreds of others wounded.

Sources say that Sunday's incident began when police Mobile
Brigade personnel were searching for Raymond Kaya. The police
finally located Raymond at 9.30 p.m on Sunday in the Tanah Lapang
Kecil area, Nusaniwe district. The police say that they were
forced to open fire on Raymond as he attempted to evade arrest.

Raymond was shot in the chest, but one of the bullets fired by
the police accidentally hit Henry Pentury in the head. Both
victims are now being treated at the Dr. Haulussy Hospital in
Ambon.

Local residents rushed home early and locked their doors
following the incident for fear that there would be a repeat of
the April disturbances. By Monday morning, however, the situation
had returned to normal.

Ambon and Lease Islands Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Leonidas
Braksan was not available for comment on Monday.

Similarly, Maluku Provincial Police spokesman Comr. Endro
Prasetyo refused to comment on the incident.

"I can't comment yet as I've received no reports so far on
what actually happened," said Endro.

In April, dozens of people were killed and hundreds of others
were badly injured following the celebration of the 54th
anniversary of the proclamation of the South Maluku Republic
(RMS). The Tanah Lapang Kecil area in Nusaniwe district bore the
brunt of the unrest at that time.

April's disturbances began on April 25 when a rally by the
separatist group, the Maluku Sovereignty Front (FKM), whose
members are mostly Christians, enraged a mob of Muslims, who
complained that the police had failed to prevent the separatist
rally from taking place. A brawl erupted following heated
argument.

The incident provoked several days' unrest in some parts of
Ambon. While most of the dead and injured were the victims of
stabbings, many people, including police personnel, died after
they were shot by "mysterious" snipers whom the authorities have
so far failed to identify.

The April unrest was the worst since the original conflict
erupted in Ambon in 1999. The ostensible cause of the conflict
was a trivial argument between a public transportation driver and
a passenger of different faiths. However, in reality the conflict
had been brewing for decades. Thousands of Muslims and Christians
were killed in the disturbances, which finally subsided only in
2003.

Separately, an Ambon court resumed on Monday the trial of
defendants Moses Tuanakotta, the secretary-general of the FKM,
and Holly Manuputty, the wife of the FKM's fugitive leader,
Alexander Manuputty. The two, who are being tried separately by
Ambon District Court, have been charged with treason.

In the Moses Tuanakotta trial, a prosecutor told the packed
courtroom that the charges against the defendant were based on
strong evidence so that the defendant should be sent to jail.
Meanwhile, in the Holly Manuputty trial, the judicial panel heard
witness testimony regarding Holly's role in the FKM.