The Jakarta Post, August 03, 2004
Tension grips Ambon after shooting
M. Aziz Tunny, Ambon
A volley of gunfire shattered the calm in Ambon on Sunday night, instilling fear once
again in residents of the beleaguered city.
The incident seriously wounded Raymond Kaya and a nine-year-old boy, Henry
Pentury. The shooting was the most serious incident since disturbances in April killed
dozens of Ambon residents and left hundreds of others wounded.
Sources say that Sunday's incident began when police Mobile Brigade personnel
were searching for Raymond Kaya. The police finally located Raymond at 9.30 p.m on
Sunday in the Tanah Lapang Kecil area, Nusaniwe district. The police say that they
were forced to open fire on Raymond as he attempted to evade arrest.
Raymond was shot in the chest, but one of the bullets fired by the police accidentally
hit Henry Pentury in the head. Both victims are now being treated at the Dr. Haulussy
Hospital in Ambon.
Local residents rushed home early and locked their doors following the incident for
fear that there would be a repeat of the April disturbances. By Monday morning,
however, the situation had returned to normal.
Ambon and Lease Islands Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Leonidas Braksan was not
available for comment on Monday.
Similarly, Maluku Provincial Police spokesman Comr. Endro Prasetyo refused to
comment on the incident.
"I can't comment yet as I've received no reports so far on what actually happened,"
said Endro.
In April, dozens of people were killed and hundreds of others were badly injured
following the celebration of the 54th anniversary of the proclamation of the South
Maluku Republic (RMS). The Tanah Lapang Kecil area in Nusaniwe district bore the
brunt of the unrest at that time.
April's disturbances began on April 25 when a rally by the separatist group, the
Maluku Sovereignty Front (FKM), whose members are mostly Christians, enraged a
mob of Muslims, who complained that the police had failed to prevent the separatist
rally from taking place. A brawl erupted following heated argument.
The incident provoked several days' unrest in some parts of Ambon. While most of the
dead and injured were the victims of stabbings, many people, including police
personnel, died after they were shot by "mysterious" snipers whom the authorities
have so far failed to identify.
The April unrest was the worst since the original conflict erupted in Ambon in 1999.
The ostensible cause of the conflict was a trivial argument between a public
transportation driver and a passenger of different faiths. However, in reality the conflict
had been brewing for decades. Thousands of Muslims and Christians were killed in
the disturbances, which finally subsided only in 2003.
Separately, an Ambon court resumed on Monday the trial of defendants Moses
Tuanakotta, the secretary-general of the FKM, and Holly Manuputty, the wife of the
FKM's fugitive leader, Alexander Manuputty. The two, who are being tried separately
by Ambon District Court, have been charged with treason.
In the Moses Tuanakotta trial, a prosecutor told the packed courtroom that the
charges against the defendant were based on strong evidence so that the defendant
should be sent to jail. Meanwhile, in the Holly Manuputty trial, the judicial panel heard
witness testimony regarding Holly's role in the FKM.
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