Wiranto asked for account of Maluku unrest

Wiranto asked for account of Maluku unrest

JAKARTA (JP): Calls are mounting for Minister of Defense/Armed
Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto to take responsibility for
continued religious conflicts in Maluku, as well as to apply
concrete measures to end the violence.

Parties, non-governmental organizations, legislators and
experts separately issued on Tuesday strong messages over the
reported shooting of Muslims at dawn prayers in a mosque in Ahuru
village in the Maluku capital of Ambon on Monday, allegedly by
people in police uniform. The police have denied involvement, and
said the fatalities occurred in a communal clash taking place
outside the mosque.

The commentators also expressed concern over the apparent
inability of the security forces to restore order and peace in
the area.

"We condemn the incident..it was tragic and damaging to
national unity," Hamzah Haz, chairman of the United Development
Party (PPP), said in a media briefing Tuesday.

"The security forces and the government have no choice but to
clearly investigate the case and take firm action against the
culprits," Hamzah insisted.

He noted that Wiranto, as the senior national security leader,
must be held responsible for the incident.

The PPP also called for calm and for members of the public to
strengthen religious unity.

"Many will try to manipulate the situation. So we call for
Muslims with their families in Ambon to hang in there because
even if worse came to worst.. Ambon is still a part of this
nation," he said.

He also called on Muslims to pray for the victims of the Ahuru
incident.

The same call was made by the Crescent Star Party (PBB),
saying the problem has occurred as the result of the Armed
Forces' failure to handle the conflict.

"Leaders of ABRI have not taken the Ambon riots as a serious
threat to national unity... other unrest throughout the country
is similarly not being handled well," chairman Yusril Ihza
Mahendra said in a press statement.

Alwi Shihab of the National Awakening Party (PKB) expressed a
similar concern, urging the government to stop using the security
approach and start a process of reconciliation among informal and
religious leaders there.

"Start approaching them peacefully and talk the problems out.
Do not use a formalistic approach.. the conditions are getting
worse there. Please, stop the violence," Alwi said in an
interview with the SCTV television station.

Legislator Ekky Syahruddin of Golkar faction slammed ABRI over
its handling of the violence that has so far killed around 150
people in Maluku. He appealed for the security forces to be
pulled out of Ambon.

"There's no use having them there as they have failed to
restore normal conditions. The core problem is conflicts arising
from social, economic and cultural gaps. That we have to work on.
A security approach would only lead to more violence," Ekky said
on Tuesday.

"If I were Wiranto, I would resign. The same thing goes for
government leaders there, such as the governor and the local
military commander," Ekky said on the sidelines of a session in
the House of Representatives.

The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) and the Institute
for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) in their respective
press releases also called on Armed Forces leaders, especially
Wiranto, to use a "participatory approach" among people in Ambon
to solve the matter.

A member of the National Commission on Human Rights,
Koesparmono Irsan, called for a thorough investigation into
whoever had done the shooting even if they were policemen.

"The shooting is wrong. Whoever misused their guns by firing
on people must be probed, police or no police," said the former
National Police Operations chief.

Separately in Yogyakarta, Central Java, the Kesatuan Aksi
Mahasiswa Muslim Indonesia (KAMMI) called on the military to take
concrete measures.

"They have to guarantee the safety of the people. If they fail
to do so, we call on Wiranto to resign."

Meanwhile, political analyst Cornelis Lay said the planned
visit of PDI Perjuangan's chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri to
try to promote peace in Ambon would only result in damage to her
political image if she failed. (edt/23/44)