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, November 3, 2001
THE SITUATION IN AMBON / MOLUCCAS - Report no. 206
1. LASKAR JIHAD LEADER LEAVES AMBON - After staying in Ambon for one week,
Laskar Jihad leader Jaffar Umar Thalib is said to have left for Sorong, Papua, on
October 29, 2001. It is not quite understandable how it is possible for somebody who
is supposed to have house-arrest in Jakarta, to be able to move about freely in the
inflammable areas of Papua and the Moluccas.
2. ATTACK ON WAIMULANG, ISLAND OF BURU - In the morning of November 1,
2001, an attack was launched on the christian village of Waimulang, on the south
coast of the island of Buru. In this incident two villagers were killed. The total of
houses and other buildings damaged or burned down amounts to 350, which is
virtually the whole village. The about one thousand residents have fled into the woods.
They reason of the attack is still unknown. Neither is there any information on who
were the assailants. Part of the attackers arrived on 13 motorboats and a speedboat,
others came by land. The locally stationed Armed VIII ("Field Artillery") security forces
did their utmost to thwart off the attackers, but their number was too small to cope
with this massive attack. Five of these military are reported to have been taken
hostage by the aggressors.
3. SECRETIVENESS OF COMMANDERS - Compared to earlier military and police
chief commanders, the recently appointed military chief commander (Brigader General
Mustopo, since July) and police chief commander (Brigader General Farouk
Mohammad Saleh, since October) seldom let themselves be interviewed by the local
press or by TV and Radio reporters. During the TV news broadcast in the evening of
November 2, John Mailoa, vice chairman of the Provincial House of Representatives,
expressed his disappointment on this fact. People should be informed on what is
going on, what acts and preventive measures are being taken in order to consolidate
and further foster the present conducive situation in the Moluccas. People also want
to know why provocations like the tablig akbar (official speech) by Jaffar Umar Thalib
in the Al-Fatah Mosque on October 23 can go unhindered, though ostensibly causing
renewed violence to erupt.
C.J.Böhm MSc,
Secretary of Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina
Received via e-mail from : Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina
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