HTML pages designed & maintained by Alifuru67 Copyright © 1999/2000 - 1364283024 & 1367286044		Want to Help? CRISIS CENTRE DIOCESE OF AMBOINA Jalan Pattimura 32 - Ambon 97124 - Indonesia Tel 0062 (0)911 342195 Fax 0062 (0)911 355337 E-mail: comamq@ambon.wasantara.net.id Ambon, May 5, 2001 THE SITUATION IN AMBON / MOLUCCAS Report no. 173 1. LASKAR JIHAD LEADER ARRESTED In the morning of May 4 the Supreme Commander of the Laskar Jihad Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah, named Ja far Umar Thalib, was arrested at Juanda airport, Surabaya, and confined at the Police Headquarters in Jakarta on charge of criminal activities. Though to the press he declared to be innocent, he confessed that he had already known since four months ago that he would be arrested, when Bishop P.C.Mandagi of the Diocese of Amboina had said that Ja far s fate would be the same as the former vice commander of the Pro Integration warriors in East Timor, Eurico Guterres. According to Suara Maluku newspaper a group of about thirty laskar jihad came to the police headquarters at Jakarta to protest against the arrest of Ja far, shouting Allahu Akbar. They were however prevented from entering the police compound. It is to be expected that later on masses of protesters will repeat this action more forcefully. Since his arrival in the Moluccas, April 2000, Ja far and his laskar jihads carried out a lot of contentious and damaging activities, among other things the burning down of christian villages, persecution and islamisation of christians and various kinds of provocation. In connection with Ja far s arrest, the security forces in Ambon are in full alert forestalling any unduly tenseness in town, especially now that the Governor is in Jakarta, and both chief commanders (Police and Army) are in Ternate (North Moluccas). 2. LASKAR JIHAD ARE THE REAL SEPARATISTS Time and again christians point to the laskar jihad as the factual separatists, especially now that their leader Ja far Umar Thalib has declared syariat (Islam Law) in Ambon (on March 10), disregarding national Indonesian Civil Law. Our earlier reports already mentioned several recent syariat activities, including the death penalty for four people. Thus they renounce the undivided State of Indonesia, reject the Pancasila and declare themselves an independent nation with its own laws. Up to now the Government has been amazingly lenient towards this dissident movement, which is at the same time a subduing of the people of the Moluccas, both christians and muslims. Main upholder of this syariat in Ambon now is Ustad Muhammad Attamimi. His recent actions, which clearly oppose national law, cannot possibly go unpunished. His detention, too, might reasonably be expected according to several local lawyers. 3. SHOOTING IN THE BAY OF AMBON At about 11.00 a.m. yesterday, the large motorboat California was shot at on its route from Galala, east of Ambon town to Gudang Arang in the western part of the town. The shooting (using standard rifles) came from the shore near Kapaha/Tantui. Among the several hundreds of christian passengers there happened to be reporter os Suara Maluku daily. The shooting seemed to be aimed also at a speedboat with christians somewhat closer to the shore. In this incident nobody was hurt. 4. TENSENESS IN HALONG Several bombs exploded in Halong Atas, east of Ambon town last night. The bombing was answered by gunfire from the security forces. C.J.Böhm MSc, Secretary of Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina Received via e-mail from : Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina Copyright © 1999-2001  - Ambon Berdarah On-Line * http://www.go.to/ambon HTML pages designed and maintained by Alifuru67 * http://www.oocities.org/maluku67 Send your comments to alifuru67@egroups.com