Two military posts in Maluku, North Maluku vacant

Two military posts in Maluku, North Maluku vacant

AMBON, Maluku (JP): Two prominent military posts in the
Pattimura Military Command overseeing Maluku and North Maluku are
temporarily vacant following the transfer of the military police
chief and the corps of military engineers chief on Thursday.

In a modest ceremony led by Pattimura Military Commander Brig.
Gen. I Made Yasa at the command's headquarters in Batu Gajah,
it was revealed that "the replacement officers are still being
processed and will soon be appointed by Indonesian Military (TNI)
Headquarters".

The outgoing military police chief at the command, Lt. Col.
Ahmad Sulaiman, has been assigned as the military police chief at
the Palembang-based Sriwijaya Military Command. And the outgoing
chief of the corps of military engineers, Lt. Col. Edy Kuncoro,
will be posted in the Department of Logistics at Army
Headquarters in Jakarta, Antara reported.

"I believe it is an honor for every officer to serve in areas
of conflict such as the Malukus, as it enriches our understanding
of how to deal with security matters and quell unrest.

"But the achievement of any officer is not measured only by
carrying out his personal duties, but also in his ability to
express and perform orders from his superiors," Yasa said.

According to reports, the two officers are being transferred
because they have been in their posts for too long.

Ahmad was in charge of the military police here when 14 police
and military personnel were arrested for their alleged
involvement in a rogue shooting at the Wijaya II Hotel in Batu
Merah on Jan. 22.

During the ceremony on Thursday, Yasa warned all military
officers in the area "to monitor their subordinates closely and
to remain neutral in handling the conflict (in the Malukus)".

"I will personally hold commanders and officers responsible if
there is any indication of partiality. There will be no tolerance
for personnel becoming involved in or backing and causing
unrest," Yasa said.

The general was referring to sporadic shootings and bombings
that have escalated over the past several weeks in Ambon.

One of these incidents took place on Feb. 28, when gunmen
sprayed bullets at a marine post in Halong Atas. The attackers
reportedly came from the hilly Kebun Cengkeh area.

Communal violence between Muslims and Christians in the
Malukus has been ongoing for over two years, claiming at least
8,000 lives, while 230,000 others have been forced to flee the
clashes.

Separately, local residents have complained about the
ineffective civil emergency post that was set up when a state of
civil emergency was declared in the area on June 27 last year.

"The post is difficult to contact by telephone and the line
never really works ... so it is hard whenever we need
confirmation or want to report an incident," a resident of
Urimesing said.

Maluku provincial spokesman Cak Saimima admitted the post did
not function properly.

"We will temporarily move the post to the governor's office,
but we have not yet decided on a new phone number or what
facilities the post will offer," he said. (edt)