CRISIS CENTRE DIOCESE OF AMBOINA
Jalan Pattimura 32 -- Ambon 97124 -- Indonesia
Tel 0062 (0)911 342195 Fax 0062 (0)911 355337
E-mail: crisiscentre01@hotmail.com
Ambon, November 26, 2002
THE SITUATION IN AMBON / MOLUCCAS -- Report No. 332
1. MILITARY EXERCISES – Towards the end of May, 2002, two battalions (3000
men) of PPRC KOSTRAD-forces were sent to Ambon (see Report 290). KOSTRAD
stands for Komando Strategis Angkatan Darat = "Strategic Army Command". PPRC
stands for Pasukan Pemukul Reaksi Cepat = "Quick Response Forces". The PPRC
would mainly occupy themselves with training activities. Personally witnessed by
Jakarta based Army Commander General Endriartono Sutarto, a large scale exercise
of the PPRC started last November 23 with a landing of troops at Pattimura Airport
and a landing of marines at Natsepa beach. Ambon had been chosen for their
exercises in order to make them familiar with the local geographic situation, so that in
any future case of emergency they will be able to "respond quickly" as a striking
force.
2. A BALI – AMBON CONNECTION? – Several Java based newspapers report that
the police in the Moluccas is tracing the chemical substances which Bali bombing
suspect Amrozi said had been sent to Ambon. It is also suspected that weapons
found nearby Amrozi's house in Lamongan, East Java, were stolen from the police
Mobile Brigade's headquarters in Tantui (adjacent to Ambon town). This happened on
June 21-22, 2000, when this Brimob Police HQ was assailed and set ablaze by
Muslim/Jihad forces. Officers' houses and the police hospital, too, became prey to the
flames. The weapons storage – which is thought to have contained some 800
weapons and other lethal devices then – was looted before being burned down. Only
part of these weapons were recovered afterwards.
3. DOES AMBON WANT TO GET RID OF ITS IDP-S? – These days numerous
meetings are held by the governor and other authorities with masses of refugees in
the various neighbourhoods in Ambon, trying to convince the refugees, especially
those from the islands of Buru and Seram, to return to their original homesteads.
However, according to trustworthy persons (like some parish priests that recently
returned from a survey to their erstwhile parishes) some of the Muslim-held places
cannot yet be considered as completely safe for Christians. But the authorities
seemingly do not care. Refugees are offered houses of 4x5 meters, without kitchen
and without toilet/bathroom. The refugees insist that they should rather be given cash
(between 5 and 15 million rupiahs = US$ 525.- – US$ 1,575.-) than "complete"
houses or building materials, in order to be able to build their future homes according
to own insight and more effectively.
C.J.Böhm msc,
Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina |
