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, December 30, 2002
THE SITUATION IN AMBON / MOLUCCAS - Report No. 341
* SOME POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN AMBON – Paulien Joel-Parera, local
contact person of the Royal Dutch Embassy in Jakarta, perceives in her latest report
(always in Dutch) some positive developments in Ambon. The initial tenseness
following the incident in Batugajah on Christmas Day (see Report 339) seems to have
been overcome (the police arrested the culprit yesterday), and there is an increasing
socializing between Christians and Muslims in the town and in several villages on the
island of Ambon. Christians do much of their daily shopping at the Muslim markets
(where food is much cheaper), whereas many Muslims buy electronic devices in the
Christian areas.
The local government contributes to this positive development, among other things by
a physical face-lift of the city of Ambon, by large-scale repairs on roads and other
public facilities and by disciplining traffic.
* GROWING GOOD RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WAAI AND TULEHU – Paulien
writes further that, for the first time since the Christian village of Waai was totally
destroyed by Tulehu and Liang and declared a Muslim village renaming it Waai-Salam
in July 2000 (see Reports 12 sqq.), youngsters from Tulehu have taken the initiative to
regularly invite their counterparts from Waai – staying as refugees in Passo – to
come and have a swim in the famous pool of Waai. Women from Waai go every day
to Tulehu to buy fruit and vegetables in order to sell this merchandise in Passo. The
residents of Tulehu have also invited the people of Waai to come and clean up the
"kramat" (ancestors' graves) in Waai. People from Waai hunt swines up to the Muslim
village of Liang, on the other side of Waai.
* DETENTION MANUPUTTY AND WAELERUNY LIFTED, TRIAL CONTINUES – The
two leaders of the as separatist regarded FKM (Front Kedaulatan Maluku) were
released from their detention in the early hours of December 28, as the period of their
detention had expired the day before. The trial against them continues today.
* HAPPY NEW YEAR – This is probably the last report in 2002. Msgr. P.C.Mandagi
asks us to express his sincere gratitude to all of you who have cared to read these
reports, for your kind interest and concern with the tragic Moluccas case, for any
provided help and offered prayers. He wishes all of you a Happy and Blessed New
Year: may it be a Year of restoring peace to this world. The Crisis Centre gladly joins
him in these wishes.
C.J.Böhm msc,
Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina |
