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News & Pictures About Ambon/Maluku Tragedy

 

 


  
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 November 2001

 


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5 killed in fresh Poso communal conflict (29/11/01) #1990
The Jakarta Post, November 29, 2001
Badri Djawara, The Jakarta Post, Poso
At least five people were killed and five others were injured when two rival sectarian groups clashed in the Central Sulawesi riot-torn town of Poso late on Tuesday. The clash between the Muslim
Laskar Jihad (holy war fighters) and Christian fighters occurred in Tabalu, Betalemba and Patiunga villages in Poso Pesisir district, Poso Regency. The clash was apparently a continuation of a riot between the two rival groups in Betalemba village on Tuesday afternoon.

Clash erupts after church burned in troubled Poso (29/11/01) #1989
The Jakarta Post, November 28, 2001
Badri Djawara, The Jakarta Post, Poso
Fresh religious fighting broke out in the Central Sulawesi riot-torn town of Poso on Tuesday in retaliation to the earlier bombing and burning of a church by rival Muslims in the regency, police said.

Attacks on Christian villages in Sulawesi leave five... (29/11/01) #1988
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, Wednesday November 28, 2001 4:53 PM
JAKARTA, Nov 28 (AFP) - Five people have been killed during attacks on three Christian villages in the Poso district of Indonesia's Central Sulawesi province, a newspaper said Wednesday. The attacks on the villages of Betalemba, Tangkura and Patiwunga started on Tuesday morning and lasted into the early hours of Wednesday, the Sinar Harapan evening daily said.

Indonesia must confront the terror within (29/11/01) #1986
Asia Times (atimes.com), November 29, 2001
By Lesley McCulloch
In the current discussion and somewhat impoverished debate on "terrorism" that preoccupies newscasters and editors everywhere, there has been only limited talk by a few "enlightened" commentators of the state-sanctioned terrorism that is part of the everyday lives of many of the world's population. The Republic of Indonesia, often hailed as the world's "newest democracy", is without question a state involved in such acts.

Tension high after church bombed in eastern Indonesia (28/11/01) #1985
REUTERS, Tuesday November 27, 2001 6:46 PM
JAKARTA (Reuters) - A church in the eastern Indonesian city of Poso has been bombed and burnt to the ground, a policeman said on Tuesday, and an aid worker said the area was gripped with renewed religious tension. The policeman in the Sulawesi island town, where hundreds of people died two years ago in clashes between Christians and Muslims, said the church was attacked early on Monday but there were no casualties.

UN seeks help for Indonesians forced from homes, (28/11/01) #1983
warns of new conflict
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, Tuesday November 27, 2001 4:51 PM
United Nations officials launched a 41 million dollar appeal for Indonesians made homeless by ethnic or religious conflicts, and warned of a potential new flare-up between Christians and Muslims in one region.

Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for (28/11/01) #1981
Internally Displaced Persons in Indonesia 2002
Date: 26 Nov 2001
The collapse of the Soeharto regime in 1998 permitted a series of violent conflicts to resurface across the archipelago. In less than three years, six different internal conflicts have erupted forcing more than 1.3 million people to become internally displaced (IDPs). This consolidated appeal (CA) focuses on these IDPs from the provinces of Aceh, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and Madura, Central Sulawesi, Malukus and Papua.

Govt gets tough on separatists (27/11/01) #1980
The Jakarta Post, November 27, 2001
JAKARTA: About 50,000 army and police personnel deployed throughout Indonesia had been readied to quell any seperatist movement, Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil said on Monday. "We have thus far deployed about 50 battalions or about 50,000 personnel of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police across the nation.

Jakarta to deploy more troops in troubled areas (27/11/01) #1979
THE STRAITS TIMES, Tuesday November 27, 2001
By Marianne Kearney, STRAITS TIMES INDONESIA BUREAU
JAKARTA - In a bid to prevent separatist and ethnic conflicts from fragmenting Indonesia, the government plans to rotate up to 50 battalions through the restive provinces of Aceh and Irian Jaya and hotspots in Maluku, Sulawesi and West Kalimantan, security chief Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said.

Indonesia Extremism Worries U.S. (27/11/01) #1973
ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Sunday November 25, 2001
By SLOBODAN LEKIC, Associated Press Writer
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - After decades of dormancy under the iron-fisted rule of former dictator Suharto, Islamic militancy is on the rise in Indonesia and U.S. officials fear its newfound democracy is threatened. They warn that Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network has taken advantage of lax security to infiltrate Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation. ``Frankly, I think they are more dangerous to Indonesia than they are to the United States,'' Paul Wolfowitz, a deputy U.S. secretary of defense and former American ambassador in Jakarta, told the Indonesian news magazine Tempo.

Indonesia - OCHA Consolidated Situation Report No. 51 (26/11/01) #1972
16-23 November 2001
MALUKU * On a call by the Protestant and Catholic Churches in Ambon, Christians in Ambon went on a 3-day mourning from 20-22 November to protest the recent violence in Ambon, which claimed over 10 lives last week, and the attack on Waimulang, Buru on 1 November that left 4 people dead. All Christian businesses were closed and transport and most other activities came to a halt. Christians in government service and local staff of aid agencies stayed away from work. The campaign included prayers in all churches. Additional roadblocks were established by hardliners to enforce the protest. Muslim leaders criticised the Christian action, calling it politically inspired and provocative.
NORTH MALUKU * A UNICEF team conducted an assessment of the situation and needs of traumatised children in Tobelo and Galela sub-districts and in Ternate city between 18 and 21 November. On 22 November, UNICEF made a presentation in Ternate city on play therapy and the Eye Movement Desensitisation and Rehabilitation (EMDR) technique, which was attended by government officials departments, academics as well as local and international NGOs.

Ambon Gives Peace A Chance (26/11/01) #1971
Laksamana.Net, November 22, 2001 09:39 PM
Laksamana.Net - Ambon, the capital of strife-torn Maluku province, has opted for peace after three years of bloody sectarian unrest that left thousands dead. The city’s Christians, despite facing a renewal of deadly attacks earlier this month, opted not to fight violence with violence, thereby winning respect from local Muslims, who have long been disturbed by carnage being carried out in the name of Islam.

Climate of impunity for torture in Indonesia: UN rights panel (26/11/01) #1967
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, Friday November 23, 2001 7:49 PM
GENEVA, Nov 23 (AFP) - The United Nations Committee against Torture said on Friday that it was concerned about a "climate of impunity" for torture committed by security forces in Indonesia. In a summary of the Committee's findings following a review of Indonesia, the UN said it was also concerned about allegations of torture by paramilitary groups which were "supported by the military and sometimes reportedly were joined by military personnel".

Little room for extremism in Indonesian Islam (26/11/01) #1963
REUTERS, Sunday November 25, 2001 3:20 PM
By Dean Yates
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's tolerant brand of Islam has passed the test of U.S. attacks on Afghanistan largely intact despite images of burning American flags, proving the nation will not become a breeding ground for Muslim extremism.

Riot-torn Ambon turns into ghost town as (23/11/01) #1956
Christians observe days of mourning
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, Wednesday November 21, 2001
JAKARTA, Nov 21 (AFP) - Streets, offices and schools were deserted in Indonesia's city of Ambon on Wednesday as Christians stayed home or prayed in churches to observe three days of mourning following almost three years of bloody clashes between Muslims and Christians.

USAID Field Report Indonesia Oct 2001 (23/11/01) #1954
November 20, 2001
Maluku * The situation in Maluku remains highly conflicted, with sporadic bombing of locations in or near neutral transaction points frequented by both Muslims and Christians. As has been the case in the past,, members of both communities expressed their defiance of such actions by quickly returning to their trading or other integrated activities soon after these events took place. In an effort to reduce the risk to people and their assets in these locations, the Mayor of Ambon moved trading points from the neutral areas considered to be most at risk to other neutral areas that are less frequented but under tighter control by the security forces. The reaction of traders was one of anger at not having been consulted and at the prospect of reduced sales due to lighter foot traffic in the alternative locations.
North Maluku * North Maluku remains perhaps the only conflict/post-conflict success story in the country. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) continue to return to their villages, and it has been a year since there was any significant conflict in the province. OTI continues to assist in the reconstruction of houses, strengthening the new provincial government, and providing information to IDP communities.

Tension rising in Ambon, Poso (22/11/01) #1952
The Jakarta Post, November 22, 2001
Tiarma Siboro and Oktavianus Pinontoan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Ambon
Tension has been rising in conflict-ridden Maluku and Poso, Central Sulawesi, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Wednesday. In Poso, where an estimated 2,000 people have been killed over the past two years, tension has compelled Jakarta to send in a 100-strong company from the National Police Mobile Brigade, he said.

Riot-torn Ambon turns into ghost town (22/11/01) #1950
Australian Associated Press, Wednesday November 21, 2001 09:18 PM
Streets, offices and schools were deserted in the Indonesian city of Ambon as Christians stayed home or prayed in churches to observe three days of mourning following almost three years of bloody clashes between Muslims and Christians. "Almost all activities have ground to a halt: education, government, transport," said Sammy Weileruni, a church lawyer in the capital of the Maluku islands.

Amid mass prayers, Ambon paralyzed (21/11/01) #1945
The Jakarta Post, November 21, 2001
Novi Pinontoan, The Jakarta Post, Ambon
Christians in Ambon, the capital of strife-torn Maluku, began three days of mass prayers on Tuesday, paralyzing almost all activities from administrative, schooling to public transportation both on land and sea.

Ambon stages mass prayers, city paralyzed (21/11/01) #1944
The Jakarta Post, November 20, 2001
AMBON, Maluku (JP): Christians in Ambon, the capital of strife-torn Maluku, began three days of mass prayers on Tuesday, paralyzing almost all activities from administrative, schooling to public transportation both on land and sea. The mass prayers, called Hari Perkabungan (Days of Mourning), are an expression of growing concern in response to a series of violence which resulted in at least 10 deaths and the injury of dozens this month.

Indonesia - OCHA Consolidated Situation Report No. 50 (21/11/01) #1943
09 - 16 November 2001
MALUKU * Bombings and shootings incidents took place almost every day in Ambon City, some with tragic results.
NORTH MALUKU * Officials from the British Council School Improvement Grant Programme are visiting Tidore and schools in Central Halmahera district to evaluate and monitor progress of an education-related activity supported by the British Council.
CENTRAL SULAWESI * The daily Radar Sulawesi Tengah reported that an unidentified group attacked the village of Kayamanya, Poso district, at 01:25 AM on Wednesday (7 Nov.). After burning down a house and opening fire on the residents, the attackers made their way to Sayo village, where five barracks and a few houses were burned down. There were no reports of casualties.

Al Qaeda 'trained in Indonesia' (21/11/01) #1942
Australian Financial Review, November 21, 2001
Lenore Taylor in London
Al Qaeda terrorists who planned the September 11 attacks trained this year at secret camps in Indonesia and have links with extremists in Australia, according to court documents in Spain where eight alleged terrorists have been jailed pending trial. Contact with nine countries was cited as evidence that Syrian-born Imad Edin Barakat Yarkas, known as Abu Dahdah, led Al Qaeda attack planning, recruiting and training around the world.

Indonesian identified as hijacking ringleader's... (21/11/01) #1941
The Star [Malaysia], Tuesday, November 20, 2001
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (AP) - An Indonesian man whom the FBI named as a contact for airline hijacker Mohammed Atta was arrested and charged with helping obtain a fake driver's license for a man identified as a contact for Osama bin Laden. A criminal complaint filed Monday charged Agus Budiman with helping Mohammad Bin Nasser Belfas obtain a Virginia driver's license. Budiman appeared before a U.S. magistrate in this Washington suburb Monday.

Challenge of political Islam to Megawati (21/11/01) #1940
The Jakarta Post, November 21, 2001
Azyumardi Azra, Rector, State Islamic Studies Institute (IAIN), Jakarta
The waves of anti-American mass-demonstrations seem to have decreased significantly. But this does not mean that "political Islam" will also diminish. There is strong evidence that political Islam, which has gained momentum since the fall of Soeharto, may continue to exert itself in the era of President Megawati Soekarnoputri and even afterwards. It will thus continue to affect not only the Megawati presidency, but also the course of Indonesian politics as a whole.

More Asian Muslims put religion ahead of state (21/11/01) #1939
Asia Times (atimes.com), November 20, 2001
By Marwaan Macan-Markar
BANGKOK - For now, predominantly Muslim Asian countries such as Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia can pass as largely secular in their outlook, given what they uphold as a state.

Arabs on Our Side (21/11/01) #1938
THE WASHINGTON POST,Tuesday, November 20, 2001; Page A23
By Fareed Zakaria
While the events of last week have transformed the situation in Afghanistan, their effects in Washington have been more comical. Gen. Tommy Franks, who 10 days earlier was facing a barrage of criticism, is now being showered with praise. Commentators who had been thundering about Washington's feeble war plans now extol the suppleness of our strategy. The Northern Alliance, once scorned as a ragtag bunch of misfits, is now spoken of with awe and affection. We should not have been so surprised that the Afghans switched to the winning side so quickly. People in Washington do it all the time.

Ambon Christians to hold mass prayers (20/11/01) #1937
The Jakarta Post, November 20, 2001
Novi Pinontoan, The Jakarta Post, Ambon
Christians in strife-torn Ambon will stage three days of mass prayers starting on Tuesday in response to a series of violence which has claimed at least 10 lives and injured dozens others this month.

Police to question Muslim group over bombings (19/11/01) #1928
The Jakarta Post, (11/18/2001 6:09:44 PM)
JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Police said on Sunday they would summon for questioning a spokesman of Muslim group Darul Islam, Al Chaidar, after he alleged that its splinter factions were behind recent bomb attacks in Indonesia, reports said. "Any information would be very useful for us to solve the bombings case and to anticipate the reoccurrence of such incidents," Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam said on Sunday.

Darul Islam says splinter faction behind Jakarta bombings (19/11/01) #1927
The Jakarta Post, (11/18/2001 5:57:09 PM)
JAKARTA (JP): Darul Islam, an Indonesian Muslim organization, revealed on Sunday that splinter factions within the group were involved in two blasts that rocked Jakarta earlier this month, reports said. Darul Islam spokesman Al Chaidar was quoted by
Metro TV private television station as saying that three splinter groups were involved in both explosions at the Australian International School in South Jakarta and a blast at Petra Protestant Church in Koja, North Jakarta, earlier this November.

Bomb Owner Linked To Fuad Bawazier (19/11/01) #1926
Laksamana.Net, November 16, 2001 09:51 AM
Laksamana.Net -  A man caught red-handed with several home-made bombs at a Jakarta hotel has told police he planned to use the explosives to "protect” controversial former finance minister Fuad Bawazier from demonstrations staged by pro-democracy activists, a report said Thursday (15/11/2001).

JRS No. 102 * INDONESIA/MOLUCCAS: UNREST IN AMBON (19/11/01) #1922
On 15 November, the Christian Churches of Amboina published a statement expressing their concern about renewed unrest and terrorist acts in Ambon. The Provincial House of Representatives also issued a statement, urging those responsible for the state of civil emergency and the chief commanders of the police and military to restore peace. JRS Moluccas said five warehouses were burned down in Ambon on 21 October in an attack that comes less than two weeks after a bomb blast at a store next door to the JRS office. On 16 November, the Amboina diocesan crisis centre reported that shooting at night between Jihad, military and police forces had been going on for a week. The target, according to this source, was the predominantly Christian Ahuru neighbourhood. The crisis centre also reported that landmines have been planted in Ahuru.

Church Bombing From Ambon to the Capital (19/11/01) #1921
TEMPO Magazine, November 13 - 19, 2001
Two suspects of the Petra Church bombing admit belonging to a group called the Mujahidin Kompak group. Why are they targeting Father Martinus Noya? The name Mujahidin Kompak has become a hot topic of conversation. Police Insp. Gen. Sofjan Jacoeb mentioned it first. At a recent press conference, the Metro Jaya Police Chief announced that Ujang Haris, 17, and Wahyu Handoko, 20, had claimed membership of the Mujahidin Kompak. The two youths have been arrested as suspects in the bombing of the Western Indonesia Protestant Church (GPIB) Petra, in North Jakarta, Friday last week.

Indonesia Ponders Peacekeeping Role In Afghanistan (19/11/01) #1917
CNSNews, November 14, 2001
By Patrick Goodenough, CNSNews.com Pacific Rim Bureau Chief
Pacific Rim Bureau (CNSNews.com) - Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, is willing to participate in a U.N. peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan if asked, according to government officials. Religious leaders have also approved such a step, saying it was in line with Indonesia's desire to see the U.N. bring the war in Afghanistan to an end. Some, however, have questioned the wisdom of sending troops abroad when the security situation at home is far from tranquil.

Radicals At Odds On UN Force (19/11/01) #1916
Laksamana.Net, November 15, 2001 10:50 PM
Laksamana.Net -  The Indonesian government’s willingness to send troops to Afghanistan as part of a proposed UN peacekeeping force has provoked mixed reactions from leaders of the country’s two most active anti-US Muslim organizations. Habib Rizieq Syihab, leader of the militant Front for the Defense of Islam (FPI), says joining a UN-sanctioned multi-national peacekeeping force in Afghanistan is "a stupid idea.”

Javanese colonialism: Autonomy tests Megawati (19/11/01) #1915
Asia Times (atimes.com), November 16, 2001
By Bill Guerin
JAKARTA - Java has been the power base of the republic of Indonesia for 56 years, although it has little, if any, natural resources. Many of the other provincial territories are rich, some extremely rich, but they have never received a decent share of the national purse used by Jakarta to build up an empire and organize and control the lives of so many non-Javanese.

Ramadan Begins In Asia (19/11/01) #1914
CNSNews, November 16, 2001
By Patrick Goodenough, CNSNews.com Pacific Rim Bureau Chief
Pacific Rim Bureau (CNSNews.com) - Millions of Muslims in Asia have begun Ramadan, a month of fasting and other observances that has gained wider attention than usual this year because of the war in Afghanistan. There traditionally are discrepancies about when Ramadan begins, because the start is linked to the sighting of the new moon and varies across the Muslim world. Where the moon was spotted Thursday, the fast begins Friday. Where the moon wasn't seen Thursday, it is to start one day later.

THE SITUATION IN AMBON / MOLUCCAS - Report no. 210 (16/11/01) #1913
BE ON YOUR GUARD FOR THAT "THIRD PARTY" - Christian Grassroots leader Emang Nikijuluw warns the citizens of Ambon, both muslim and christian, not to let themselves be provocated by recent acts of terror and violence, that - according to Nikijuluw - originate from a certain third party that wants the conflict to go on. He also wishes the muslims God's Blessing on the Ramadan which will start within short (November 17).

Military to take tough actions against rioters in Poso (15/11/01) #1906
The Jakarta Post, November 15, 2001
Badri Jawara, The Jakarta Post, Poso
The military has vowed to take resolute action against those involved in or instigating riots in the regency of Poso, the chief of the Tadulako Military Command, which oversees the regency of Poso, Central Sulawesi, has warned. Col. Suwahyuhadji said here on Wednesday that the military would not hesitate to take tough action against rioters. "We mean it." "We want all the battling groups to stop attacking each other, or we will take aggressive action to stop them," he said. "Don't force the military to do that. So, please listen to our appeal seriously," he said, referring to the Muslim and Christian groups who have recently been involved once again in deadly clashes.

Gafur, Fadel in Mega's hand (15/11/01) #1905
The Jakarta Post, November 15, 2001
JAKARTA: Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said on Wednesday that concern over the delayed inauguration of governors Abdul Gafur of North Maluku and Fadel Mohammad of Gorontalo could trigger local political unrest.

Holy War 201 (15/11/01) #1904
The Weekly Standard [Washington DC], November 13, 2001
by Claudia Winkler, managing editor
AS STAGE ONE of the war on terrorism picks up momentum, Americans continue our crash course in radical Islam. We're getting used to the notion that Osama bin Laden represents an extremist movement with manifestations worldwide. Today's lesson spotlights a group called the Laskar Jihad, now waging a holy war against Christians in eastern Indonesia, with a mounting death toll already in the thousands.

Three more people killed in Ambon gunfire (14/11/01) #1897
The Jakarta Post, November 14, 2001
The Jakarta Post, Ambon
Following a strong bomb explosion that claimed two lives in Ambon on Monday, three more people were shot dead by unidentified gunmen and five others were seriously injured by gunfire in Ambon early on Tuesday. The shootings, which were carried out using automatic rifles, occurred when a speedboat carrying ten passengers entered the Ambon Baguala bay near the city at 6:30 a.m. local time.

Rioters open fire in waters off Ambon, killing three, (14/11/01) #1896
injuring five
The Jakarta Post, November 13, 2001
JAKARTA (JP): Gunmen opened fire at a passing speedboat in the waters off Teluk Ambon in the strife-torn province of Maluku early on Tuesday, killing three people and injuring five out of 10 passengers on board, reports said. The three fatalities, identified as Niko Pelmelay, Yakob Latupapua and Benny Tuhusula, died en route to hospital due to severe gunshot wounds, a paramedic at Dr. Haulussy General Hospital Johanis D. Mayaut said, as quoted by Antara.

Violence Continues In Indonesia's Aceh, Maluku (14/11/01) #1895
ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Tuesday November 13, 2001
JAKARTA (AP)--Five people, including a soldier and two rebels, were killed in separate incidents in Indonesia's restless Aceh province over the last 48 hours, local military spokesman Lt. Col. Firdaus Komarno said Tuesday.

Gunmen kill three, wound five in latest Ambon violence (14/11/01) #1894
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, Tuesday November 13, 2001 11:12 AM
JAKARTA, Nov 13 (AFP) - Gunmen shot dead three people and wounded five others in a Christian area of the riot-hit eastern Indonesian city of Ambon early Tuesday, the state Antara news agency said.

Bomb blasts kill two, injure 20 in Indonesia's (14/11/01) #1893
riot-ravaged Ambon
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, Monday November 12, 2001 5:28 PM
JAKARTA, Nov 12 (AFP) - Two bomb blasts killed two people and injured 20 others in Indonesia's riot-torn eastern city of Ambon in the Maluku islands, a report said Monday. A bomb exploded inside an electric appliance store in downtown Ambon, killing the owner and injuring 14 other people, the state Antara news agency said.

Bomb Blast Kills Two, Injures 14 In Indonesia's Ambon (14/11/01) #1892
ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Monday November 12, 2001
JAKARTA (AP)--A homemade bomb exploded Monday in Indonesia's Maluku province, killing two and injuring 14 people, police and witnesses said. Police chief Lt. Col. Hasanudin said unknown assailants threw the device into an electronics market in the provincial capital, Ambon. The blast killed a 51-year-old woman and her son. Fourteen others were injured.

THE SITUATION IN AMBON / MOLUCCAS - Report no. 209 (13/11/01) #1889
INVESTIGATION ON BOMB BLAST - One of the two involuntary suicide victims of the bomb explosion in the neighbourhood of Tanahtinggi, Ambon city, on November 9, turned out to be a soldier named Pattiiha from the unit Bek-Ang (Perbekalan dan Angkutan = Forage & Transport), Kodam XVI Pattimura, Ambon. The other one was a still unknown civilian. The military chief commander up to now has not provided any clarification.

THE SITUATION IN AMBON / MOLUCCAS - Report no. 208 (13/11/01) #1888
COURT DECISION ON DR. ALEX MANUPUTTY - On November 9 Dr. Alex Manuputty (see various earlier Reports) at last was sentenced to 4 months detainment. On learning this decision, Manuputty said he was grateful to the Lord that he was worthy to be sentenced on behalf of defending the truth. However, he immediately also appealed to a higher court. The prosecutor, too, is pondering whether to appeal to a higher court, since the sentence is considered to be too light.

THE SITUATION IN AMBON / MOLUCCAS - Report no. 207 (13/11/01) #1887
DEMAND FOR IMPRISONMENT OF DR. A.MANUPUTTY - On November 5 the Public Prosecutor in the legal process against defendant Dr. Alex Manuputty demanded imprisonment of the accused for the time of nine months (see: Dr. Alex Manuputty on trial - Report 205 no.2 - October 27).

THE SITUATION IN AMBON / MOLUCCAS - Report no. 206 (13/11/01) #1886
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.

THE SITUATION IN AMBON / MOLUCCAS - Report no. 205 (13/11/01) #1885
Note: From October 16 on up to now - again - Ambon has had no internet-connection.
REACTION TO USA ATTACK ON AFGHANISTAN - According to press agency "Antara", several hundreds of students from the muslim University Darusallam ("Unidar"), Ambon, launched a demonstration on Thursday, October 11, 2001. Among other things, they demanded that President George W.Bush should be sentenced by the International Court of Justice. They read their statement to Vice Governor Dra. Paula B.Renyaan (the Governor himself being in Jakarta then). They also urged to boycott USA products and said the Indonesian Government should sever diplomatic and political relations with this country. Further, the UN should immediately stop the USA and its allies attacking the Afghan civilians. The OKI members (Islamic Conference Organisation) were urged to declare jihad fi sabilillah on the USA and its allies. Further they condemned the burning down of a mosque in Australia and one in the Netherlands. We needn't expand on the obvious answer they received from both the Vice Governor and a lawyer, Mohammad Ely SH. Anyway, the mouse had roared, and it dispersed peacefully.

Bomb explosions kill two, injure 14 in Ambon (13/11/01) #1883
The Jakarta Post, November 13, 2001
The Jakarta Post, Ambon
Two homemade bombs exploded in two separate areas in the Maluku provincial capital of Ambon on Monday, leaving two dead and 14 others seriously injured. Linggawati, 51, the owner of an electronics equipment store in the city, died of severe injuries after a strong explosion ripped through her store, while her son, Roberth, 25, died before he was able to receive medical attention at the Graha Bhakti General Hospital. The bomb blast also injured 14 others, including three
becak (pedicab) drivers and several shoppers in the store. The injured were still undergoing intensive care at two hospitals in the city.

Bomb blasts rock Ambon, two killed (13/11/01) #1882
The Jakarta Post, (11/12/2001 7:33:52 PM)
JAKARTA (JP): After months of restive calm, strife-torn Ambon, capital of Maluku province, was rocked on Monday by bomb blasts at an electronics store that killed two residents and injured at least 14 others. In another incident earlier on Monday morning, a strong blast in the Batu Merah area in downtown Ambon left six people, including three military officers, injured.

Indonesian military says independence leader died (13/11/01) #1875
of heart attack
ABC 12/11/01 19:20:13
The Indonesian military says an independence leader in West Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya, apparently died of a heart attack. Hundreds of people have gathered to mourn the death of Theys Eluay who was found dead in his crashed car on Sunday after reportedly being abducted. As Mark Bowling reports security forces have been placed on alert in the province.

Eight bombs found in hotel room (12/11/01) #1868
The Jakarta Post, November 12, 2001
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Eight bombs were found in a hotel room in Central Jakarta and the police alleged on Sunday that they could be linked to Friday's bomb blast at Petra church in Koja, North Jakarta. Jakarta Police Spokesman Snr.Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam suspected that the two cases might be related because the suspects were all from Ambon.

Indonesia Independence Leader Killed (12/11/01) #1867
ASSOCIATED PRESS, Sunday November 11, 2001 9:57 AM ET
By LELY T. DJUHARI, Associated Press Writer
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - The leader of the main independence movement in Indonesia's rebellious Irian Jaya province was kidnapped and killed, police said Sunday. Theys Eluay's widow blamed security forces, and riots erupted as news of his death spread. Villagers found Eluay's body in his wrecked car in a ravine 18 miles east of the provincial capital, Jayapura. Police said it appeared he was strangled and that his assailants tried to make his death look like an accident by pushing the car off a remote stretch of road.

Violence erupts after killing of Papua independence leader (12/11/01) #1866
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, Sunday November 11, 2001 10:33 PM
Protestors set alight buildings in the hometown of Irian Jaya independence leader Theys Hiyo Eluay, whose body was found after he was abducted in the remote Indonesian province, an activist said. Passengers on Garuda flights due to leave Jakarta later Sunday for Jayapura, the provincial capital of Irian Jaya, were told that because of security reasons the flights would terminate at Biak, 555 kilometers (344 miles) west of Jayapura.

Indonesia - OCHA Consolidated Situation Report No. 49 (12/11/01) #1865
02 - 09 November 2001
MALUKU * Details of the attack on the Christian village of Waimulang in South West Buru last Thursday (1 Nov.) still remained sketchy. Unconfirmed reports now available suggested that as many as 400 Muslims with allegedly some TNI soldiers and armed with automatic weapons made the well-planned pre-dawn attack by land and sea, forcing the inhabitants to flee into the hills.
NORTH MALUKU * The Supreme Court endorsed the controversial election of Abdul Gafur as the governor of North Maluku on Tuesday (6 Nov.). The provincial parliament earlier annulled his victory owing to allegations of money politics.
OTHER * Following a Jakarta Post report on Tuesday (6 Nov.) that 3,000 Maluku IDPs in Kupang were facing starvation, CWS sent a report from Kupang that as of September this year, there were only 557 people registered as IDPs from Ambon living in and around Kupang. They were either renting their own places or living with their families, except 30 households who lived in camps equipped with running tap water and electricity.

Blast rocks N. Jakarta church, two detained (12/11/01) #1858
The Jakarta Post, November 09, 2001
JAKARTA (JP): Police have detained two men who are suspected of throwing an explosive device at the Petra Church in Koja, North Jakarta, late Friday night. City police spokesman Snr. Comm. Anton Bachrul Alam told The Jakarta Post that two men, one aged 17 and the other 20, were apprehended by police not far from the scene of the explosion after police became suspicious of their movements.

Two killed in fresh Poso conflict (12/11/01) #1855
The Jakarta Post, (11/11/2001 7:34:41 PM)
PALU, Central Sulawesi (JP): Two people were killed and at least six others wounded in fresh gun battles at two separate locations in Poso regency, Central Sulawesi, on Friday and Saturday. Police were not available for comment on the fatal incidents. On Saturday a group of people entered the regency and attacked the locals, eyewitnesses said on Sunday.

Bekasi church stoned (12/11/01) #1854
The Jakarta Post, November 12, 2001
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Dozens of people on motorcycles threw stones on Sunday morning at a shophouse that served as a church in Cikarang housing estate, Bekasi. Bekasi Police chief Adj. Snr. Comr. Djoko Susilo said that the people had attacked the building as church officials had not heeded their warnings. The people had objected to the presence of the church in the shophouse and had repeatedly threatened to damage the property if church officials did not stop holding religious services in the building, according to Djoko.

Indonesia: Darul Islam Group against freezing assets... (09/11/01) #1848
BBC Worldwide Monitoring, November 8, 2001
Jakarta: A government plan to freeze the assets of organizations suspected of having links to terrorism has been reproved by the Darul Islam group. Concerns were raised that such an action would be a bad precedent to set for Islamic organizations who would be too afraid to accept contributions because of the suspicions it would raise. This reproval of the government's plan was issued today (7 November) by two Darul Islam activists, Al Chaidar and Rahmat Gumilar Nataprawira. Darul Islam, as an organization, would be sending out its official stance on Thursday (8 November).

Militias adjust to free market (09/11/01) #1847
South China Morning Post, Friday, November 9, 2001
VAUDINE ENGLAND
They came from across the nation for a five-yearly get-together in their favourite garb - orange and black camouflage. One man sported cowboy boots, long hair and a bamboo back-scratcher. Another had dyed his hair red. Two others wore long Muslim-style gowns and hats replete with prayer beads. But all of them wore a distinctive orange and black camouflage fabric - in boots, T-shirts, military gear and blazers - to mark their membership of a once all-powerful group called Pemuda Pancasila.

Australian School Attacked in Jakarta, Days After Threats (09/11/01) #1844
CNSNews, November 06, 2001
By Patrick Goodenough, CNSNews.com Pacific Rim Bureau Chief
Pacific Rim Bureau (CNSNews.com) - A hand grenade exploded inside a compound of the Australian International School in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, Tuesday night, causing no injuries but damaging some property, the school's principal said. The incident is the first security scare at the school since tensions increased in the world's most populous Muslim country following the start of U.S.-led military strikes in Afghanistan in retaliation for the Sept. 11 terror attacks in America. It came just days after the twin targets of the U.S. action - suspected terror attack mastermind Osama bin Laden and the Taliban militia controlling much of Afghanistan - made public statements critical of Australia. Australia has thrown its support behind the American action, contributing troops and equipment to the campaign.

Australian school continues to operate in Jakarta after attack (08/11/01) #1842
ABC 8/11/01 1:00:59
The Australian International School in Jakarta is operating today amid tight security after a grenade exploded in the school grounds last night. Police say the grenade was hurled over the school fence by two men riding past on a motorbike. The school principal Penny Robertson says the building was damaged but no one was hurt.

Bomb blast at Australian school in Jakarta (07/11/01) #1840
ABC 7/11/01 13:27:18
Indonesian police in Jakarta are investigating an incident in which a grenade was hurled into the grounds of the Australian International School in Jakarta. Principal Penny Robertson says there were no injuries, following the blast, which put a hole in a concrete wall and smashed some windows.

Fanatics just over the water (07/11/01) #1836
The Australian, November 06, 2001
By Ian Stewart
OSAMA bin Laden's appeal to Muslims to rise up against enemies of Islam such as the "Australian crusader forces" will attract eager zealots in Australia's backyard, where terrorist groups in Indonesia and Malaysia have been linked to him.....
Jafar Umar Talib, an Indonesian religious leader with Afghanistan ties, told Indonesia's Tempo magazine that KMM was part of the Osama network in the region. He said the KMM had a connection with a group called Laskar Mujahideen, which was active in fighting Christians in north Maluku. The Indonesian link was further confirmed by the arrest of a Malaysian KMM member in Jakarta on August 1, when a bomb he was carrying went off prematurely outside a shopping mall.

Indonesia dragged down by vested interests (07/11/01) #1835
Asia Times (atimes.com), November 6, 2001
By Ken Ntalarana
JAKARTA - When President Megawati Sukarnoputri issued a warning on October 28, and repeated it two days later, that Indonesia could become the Balkans of the East, people thought immediately of the troubled provinces of Aceh and Irian Jaya where there have long been battles for separation from the Unitary State of Indonesia, or Maluku province, where religious conflict has claimed close to 10,000 lives since 1999.

A grenade explodes at Australian int'l school in Jakarta (07/11/01) #1833
ABC 7/11/01 10:20:01
A grenade has exploded in the grounds of the Australian International School in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. Mark Bowling reports the blast occurrred last night, well after all students had gone home.

Blast rocks Australian Int'l School (07/11/01) #1832
The Jakarta Post, (11/6/2001 10:18:35 PM)
JAKARTA (JP): A strong blast erupted inside the compound of the Australian International School on Jl. Jati Mulya, South Jakarta, around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. There was no immediate report of casualties.

Maluku refugees living in Kupang face starvation (06/11/01) #1830
The Jakarta Post, November 06, 2001
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang
Around 3,000 Maluku refugees in the East Nusa Tenggara provincial capital of Kupang are facing starvation following the ending of food aid from a local Protestant church. The refugees, who had fled the prolonged sectarian conflict in Maluku, said that the local people could no longer be relied on for rice and other basic commodities due to the worsening conditions in the province resulting from the prolonged economic crisis.

Indonesian moderates send militant packing (06/11/01) #1829
The Christian Science Monitor, November 05, 2001
By Dan Murphy
JAKARTA, INDONESIA - Jaffar Umar Thalib has finally met his match. Mr. Thalib, an Afghan war veteran and preacher, runs the Laskar Jihad, a Muslim militia that has participated in raids that have killed dozens in Indonesia's Maluku province over the past two years. He says the ultimate aim is to convert Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, into a state run by Islamic law. And he's using Muslim anger at the air strikes in Afghanistan to recruit new members. If Indonesian authorities attempt to arrest him, Thalib threatens to spread his jihad to Indonesia's main island of Java.

ASEAN Rejects Call For Halt To Afghanistan Bombing (06/11/01) #1828
CNSNews, November 05, 2001
By Patrick Goodenough, CNSNews.com Pacific Rim Bureau Chief
Pacific Rim (CNSNews.com) - For the second time in less than three weeks, an Asian gathering has denounced the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks against the U.S, while avoiding any reference to the war in Afghanistan because of the unease of Muslim participants. Members of the Association of South East Nations (ASEAN) met in Brunei with their northern neighbors from China, Japan and South Korea. In a declaration, they condemned the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S., rejecting attempts to link terrorism with "any religion and race."

Indonesia - OCHA Consolidated Situation Report No. 48 (06/11/01) #1827
26 October - 02 November 2001
MALUKU * Laskar Jihad leader Jafar Umar Thalib ended his visit to Ambon with a call for Muslims in Maluku to consolidate their efforts to meet the challenges facing the community during the fasting month (Ramadan). During a meeting with Muslim leaders on Saturday (27 Oct.), he stated that he would continue to fight for the implementation of Syariah law throughout Indonesia. Hundreds of people attacked the predominantly Christian village of Waimulang on Buru Island Thursday (1 Nov.), killing three and burned down almost all 350 houses in the village. The attack, launched from land and sea (using at least 14 vessels) in the early morning, forced some 1,000 villagers to flee into the nearby jungle. The attackers were reported to have stayed put and occupied the village. There are already around 4,000 IDPs in the camps in the mountainous terrain nearby.

Australian Embassy in Jakarta shut down (06/11/01) #1825
ABC 5/11/01 22:31:27
A section of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta had to be shut down and cleaned earlier today after a diplomat received an envelope containing a white powder. Mark Bowling reports from Jakarta, the envelope and its contents have been sent for testing.

Three killed in fresh violence in Maluku (05/11/01) #1822
The Jakarta Post, November 02, 2001
Novi Pinontoan, The Jakarta Post, Ambon
After months of tense calm, violence returned to Maluku with the murder of three villagers following attacks by groups of gunmen in the Buru islands early on Thursday. The armed attackers, numbering hundreds of people, raided the predominantly Christian village of Waimulang on Buru island in the province of Maluku. They launched land and sea assaults at around 7 a.m. local time, officials said.

New violence kills three in riot-torn Indonesian spice islands (05/11/01) #1820
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, Friday November 2, 2001 1:01 PM
JAKARTA, Nov 2 (AFP) - Hundreds of armed attackers killed three villagers in the latest violence to hit Indonesia's Maluku islands, which have been ravaged by almost three years of violence between Muslims and Christians. The group descended on the predominantly-Christian village of Waimulang on Buru island on Thursday morning, killing three residents and burning down almost the whole settlement, the Jakarta Post said Friday.

Villagers killed in island raid (05/11/01) #1819
The Daily Telegraph, November 3, 2001
JAKARTA: Hundreds of armed attackers killed three villagers in the latest violence on Indonesia's Maluku islands, which have been ravaged by almost three years of violence between Muslims and Christians, it was reported yesterday. The group descended on the predominantly-Christian village of Waimulang on Buru island yesterday morning, killing three residents and burning down most of the settlement, the Jakarta Post said. More than 1000 residents fled to the jungle and the fate of 13 military officers who were in the village at the time was unknown.

Terrorists and Freedom Fighters (05/11/01) #1818
THE WORLD TODAY, November 2001 issue
By Damien Kingsbury and Lesley McCulloch
Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country and the backing of its new President was an important early victory for America's coalition. But that support rapidly came under severe strain from radical Islamic groups which themselves are accused of taking part in state terror....
Thousands of Laskar Jihad (holy warriors), for example, travelled from Java to the troubled province of the South Maluku in late 1999 where they attacked Christians already in conflict with local Muslims. Apart from a death toll of around eight thousand, and more than half a million refugees, the Laskar Jihad has created a climate of fear and uncertainty there. It has also engaged in genital mutilation of Christians in a bid to force their religious conversion. Christians retaliated and the conflict intensified. Society is now far more deeply segregated than ever. The Laskar Jihad was trained in West Java by members of the TNI's Special Forces (Kopassus) and funded by politicians and businessmen who use Islam for political purposes. Members of the state security apparatus arranged the arrival of between three and four thousand Laskar Jihad members in the town of Ambon in South Maluku alone. This radical Muslim organisation received arms, training and other resources from the military. In addition to this 'state' support, agents of Osama Bin Laden have worked with the Laskar Jihad, and travelled to the South Maluku with them, where they were warmly welcomed. Yet it is unlikely the government would ever label this group as terrorists. To do so would risk a domestic backlash.

Indonesian radicals rally force of 100,000 (05/11/01) #1815
The Courier-Mail, November 3, 2001
Chris Griffith
A RADICAL Indonesian Islamic group with confirmed links to Osama bin Laden and with Australian members wants to send 100,000 troops to Afghanistan to join the Taliban.....
Darul Islam has been linked to several coup attempts and openly claims links to bin Laden. Darul Islam faction leader Al Chaidar said a representative of bin Laden had made four visits to Indonesia – to Aceh, West Java, and twice to Maluku. Al Chaidar also claims that 5000 members along with 25,000 other Indonesians fought in Afghanistan in the 1980s alongside the Mujahideen in the war against the Soviet Union.

ISLAM'S CRUEL CRUSADERS (02/11/01) #1813
NEW YORK POST, Wednesday, October 31, 2001
By JONATHAN FOREMAN
LAST weekend's appalling massacre of Christians in Pakistan - and the fact that it is part of a pattern of oppression there and in other Muslim countries that predates our campaign in Afghanistan - should clarify the media's rather muddy picture of today's Islamic world....
Indonesia's Molucca islands have actually been the scene of forced conversions and large-scale murder of Christians by
Islamic fundamentalists of the Laskar Jihad movement over the past three years. Some 5,000 have died and 500,000 more been displaced, with the armed forces turning a blind eye or even taking part in the atrocities.

Hardline Indonesian Muslim groups demand Islamic law (02/11/01) #1812
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, Thursday November 1, 2001 3:39 PM
JAKARTA, Nov 1 (AFP) - Up to 500 members of several hardline Indonesian Muslim groups on Thursday protested at parliament, demanding that the constitution be revised to oblige Muslims to follow Islamic Sharia law....
Among the groups were the Front for the Defenders of Islam (FPI), the FPI chapter in Solo, Central Java,
the Laskar Jihad (Jihad Force), Hizbullah and the Association of the Brotherhood for Indonesian Muslim Workers.

Intelligence - US Cautious With Indonesian Ties (02/11/01) #1811
Mixed Blessings For Indonesia
FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue cover dated November 8, 2001
The U.S. Senate has signalled that it wants Washington to move cautiously in resuming ties with Indonesia's armed forces. But the Senate, in its new Foreign Operations Bill, increased its budget for bilateral aid to Indonesia in 2002 from about $115 million to $130 million. The bill, which cleared the Senate in late October, introduces several new conditions before the United States and Indonesia can resume military relations. These conditions include punishing those involved in the murder of three humanitarian aid workers in West Timor in September 2000, allowing civilian officials to audit receipts and expenditures of the armed forces, granting international humanitarian-aid workers access to West Timor, Aceh, West Papua and the Moluccas and releasing political detainees.

Brawl breaks out in Indonesia's top assembly (02/11/01) #1810
REUTERS, Thursday November 1, 2001 12:36 PM
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Dozens of Indonesian legislators fought and threw punches during a nationally televised brawl that forced a temporary suspension of the annual session of the country's top assembly on Thursday.

Fresh violence breaks out in Maluku, three dead (02/11/01) #1809
The Jakarta Post, (11/1/2001 5:09:59 PM)
AMBON, Maluku (JP): After months of tense calm, violence returned to Maluku with the murder of three villagers following attacks by groups of gunmen in the Buru islands early on Thursday. The armed attackers, numbering hundreds of people, raided the predominantly Christian village of Waimulang on Buru island in the province of Maluku. They launched land and sea assaults at around 7 a.m. local time, officials said.

Megawati urges end to U.S. strikes (02/11/01) #1804
CNN, November 1, 2001 Posted: 2:41 AM EST (0741 GMT
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri has called for a ceasefire in Afghanistan warning that the longer the conflict continues the more likely the global coalition against terrorism would crumble. Speaking at the opening of the annual 10-day session of Indonesia's supreme People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) she said military action should be halted during the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan and as well as Christmas.

Stoking Southeast Asia Tensions (01/11/01) #1800
The International Herald Tribune, Wednesday, October 31, 2001
By Thomas Fuller International Herald Tribune
Afghan War Risks Radicalizing Muslims, Analysts Warn. When Muhammad Shukri Sattar, a 24-year-old Malaysian university student, was arrested last month in Thailand while attempting to ride his motor scooter to Afghanistan, it provided a dose, perhaps perversely, of comic relief for diplomats and officials in Malaysia. Mr. Muhammad, who told officials he had wanted to "help" Afghans under attack by the United States, was ill-prepared for what would have been a journey of more than 8,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) across at least five countries. He was carrying the equivalent of about $20 and was arrested after Thai police discovered that he had entered the country illegally and had no driver's license or vehicle registration.

I gave the money to an Islamic foundation: Akbar (01/11/01) #1799
The Jakarta Post, Nov. 1, 2001
JAKARTA (JP): House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Akbar Tandjung said on Wednesday that he did not keep Rp 40 billion (US$4 million) in nonbudgetary funds belonging to the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) but had handed it over to an Islamic foundation. "I gave the money to an Islamic foundation, named Raudhatul Jannah," Akbar, who was the state secretary when the alleged transaction was made, was quoted as saying by SCTV television station after four hours of questioning at the office of the deputy attorney general for general crimes.
 

 Index of Previous News

News October 2001 (Baguala67)

News April 2001 (Arumbaikole)

News September 2001 (Baguala67)

News March 2001 (Arumbaikole)

News August 2001 (Naulu67)

News February 2001 (Arumbaikole)

News July 2001 (Naulu67)

News from 31st December 2000 - 31st January 2001 (Maluku67)

News June 2001 (Naulu67)

News from 11st - 31st December 2000 (Maluku67)

News May 2001 (Arumbaikole)

News from 1-11st December 2000 (Ambon67)


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