HTML pages designed & maintained by Alifuru67 Copyright © 1999/2000 - 1364283024 & 1367286044		Want to Help? CRISIS CENTRE DIOCESE OF AMBOINA Jalan Pattimura 32 - Ambon 97124 - Indonesia Tel 0062 (0)911 342195 Fax 0062 (0)911 355337 E-mail: compro@ambon.wasantara.net.id THE SITUATION IN AMBON / MOLUCCAS Report no. 143 1. MARINERS POST SHOT AT A mariners sentry post at Halong-Atas, east of the town of Ambon, unexpectedly and for no apparent reason was assaulted by a fusillade from the direction of the moslem site of Kebun Cengkeh at 7.30 PM on February 28. The mariners answered the gunfire, and got enforcements meanwhile. Local residents panicked. No casualties were reported. 2. MOSLEMS READY TO OPPOSE MOLUCCAN CHRISTIAN SEPARATISTS Ten islam organisations, united in the Front Pembela Islam Maluku (Front of Moluccan Islam Defense) agree and are determined to oppose any RMS uprising and separatist activities of the christian Moluccans that according to them incessantly harass the authority of the Indonesian Government. Their statement was issued on February 26 and was reported among others to Suara Maluku newspaper. They said that the moslem Moluccans since ages had opposed the European nations that had come to Indonesia and to the Moluccas in order to christianize them and subjugate them with the doctrine Gospel-Gold-Glory . In this christian colonization effort missionaries from Europe with their force and power had christianized moslems in the Moluccas for more than 350 years. Since the declaration of Indonesian Indepence on August 17, 1945, the Moluccas have been an integral part of the Republic of Indonesia, and no RMS/FKM christian separatist movement was to be tolerated. 3. THE GOVERNOR ON THE MASSMEDIA On January 9, the Governor as the Responsible for the Civil Emergency State decided to install a Committee for Censoring Newsbulletins. However, this bridling of the press was never enforced. Jakarta Post newspaper of February 28 reports on a meeting titled Journalism in Conflict , organized by the British Council, the National Press Board and the Independent Journalists Alliance (AJI). The meeting was held in Bogor, West Java. At a session with the press councils chairman Atmakusumah Asraatmadja on February 26, the Governor of the Moluccas, Dr M.Saleh Latuconsina, urged the National Press Council to help the media in telling the truth and being objective in reporting the Maluku case . He said: Many national media have run stories that are completely at odds with the true facts and they have a tendency to exploit incidents which could arouse anger in both the Muslim and Christian camps& It is hard to keep things under control in Maluku with so many misleading reports . Latuconsina further singled out a Jakarta-based daily which in several of its editions had employed bombastic titles and partial reporting. C.J.Böhm MSc, Secretary of Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina Received via e-mail from : Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina Copyright © 1999-2001  - Ambon Berdarah On-Line * http://www.go.to/ambon HTML pages designed and maintained by Alifuru67 * http://www.oocities.org/maluku67 Send your comments to alifuru67@egroups.com