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 Ambon, 29 December , 2000 THE SITUATION IN AMBON / MOLUCCAS - Report no. 118   A. THE PROCESS OF ISLAMISATION ON THE MOLUCCAS ISLANDS OF KESUI AND TEOR Summary based on clarification by eye-witnesses. START OF THE UNREST - For whatever reason, on November 23-26, christians of the island of Kesui, a tiny island between the eastern tip of Ceram and the Kei Islands, unexpectedly were attacked by joined muslim jihad militias, mainly from the neighbouring islands of Geser and Gorong. The about 2000-3000 assailants attacked and burned each day a different village: Utta, Karlomin, Wunin and Tanasoa. At least 9 residents, most of them from Karlomin, were killed.   ISLAMISATION - Some of the christians managed to escape by boats to the neighbouring island of Teor or further on to the Kei Islands. Others fled to the woods. On November 28 their muslim brothers from Kesui came after them and took them to several mosques. On arriving at those mosques, a lot of muslims, including their imams, were awaiting them. They said: By order of the Jihad, now you have come down from the woods, this means that you have to embrace Islam. If you are not willing to do so, we have to separate you from the others and you will be killed .   ATTACK ON TEOR - On the neighbouring small island of Teor there are six christian villages, all of them catholic, except one mixed catholic/protestant. Learning about the sad events on the island of Kesui and seeing from afar the burning of villages, many christians of Teor started to leave for the Kei-islands on small vessels. Individual muslims told the remaining christians that they had better immediately come over to the islam religion in order to save their lives. It is reported that in fact 140 catholics of two villages, Kartutin and Karlokin surrendered to be islamised. On December 10-11, Kartutin and Korlokin were attacked and conquered by muslims. Among the attackers there were to be noticed former christians, turned muslim. Of these two villages many houses were burned down and destroyed.   FIRST ATTEMPT OF EVACUATION - Initially the freighter Shinta was sent to Kesui by the government with twenty security forces from Masohi (capital of Ceram) on board in order to evacuate the christians. It arrived there in the afternoon of December 1. However, they were assured by the jihads, that there was nobody who wanted to be evacuated . This was ostensibly a lie. Lacking sufficient armed forces, the ship returned, without bringing refugees, to Masohi/Amahai.   SECOND ATTEMPT - The Governor of the Moluccas, as the Responsible for the Civil Emergency State, then decided to send an investigation team there, which also should evacuate those who wanted to be evacuated. This team carried out its investigation on December 8-10. It consisted of two government representatives, two human rights delegates, one newsreporter, one local NGO representative and Father Ferry Binsasi, parish priest of Masohi. But for this priest and the NGO representative, all members were muslims. They went to Kesui on a freighter on Desember 8, together with 31 military and 1 policeman. The mission was to be considered to be a failure, because: The composition of the team was not proportional (5 muslims, 2 catholics, no protestants). The questioning of the (former) christians was not carried out in a secluded location, their answers could be heard straight away by the muslim onlookers. This, of course, hampered those questioned to answer freely. Apparently they were frightened, which was obvious by the way they proffered their answers. They already knew what on December 1st had happened to two protestant teachers, named E.Rumatora and David Balubun, who had been abducted by the muslims and consequently been killed in a neighbouring village because they had refused to abjure their christian religion. Only a small minority could be questioned. All victims said that they had become islam of their own free will. They also said they did not wish to be evacuated from Kesui. Since the honesty of these answers was doubted, another more representive team had to be sent to Kesui. THIRD ATTEMPT - This time muslims, protestants and catholics were proportionally represented in the team. Represented were the Government, the Department of Religion, the National Commission of Human Rights and the Grass Roots . Besides Father Ferry Binsasi, there was another catholic priest on the team, namely Fr. Agus Laritembun. The team departed on December 13 and returned to Ambon on December 18. Their assignment was to carry out investigation and if needed evacuation The first site to be visited was the village of Tanah Baru on the island of Kesui on December 15. Almost two-thirds of the christians who had already confessed to the islam, could be retrieved and brought to the freighter for questioning and dialogue. It was assumed that on this neutral location, the questioning could take place unhampered by the presence of muslims. However, immediately after their coming on board, turmoil erupted on the shore. Fearing for the lives of their family members that had been left behind, they chose get off the ship again immediately. Then the team went and visited the other places where christians were held, namely Kelbuta, Kelbo, Suar, Amarlaut, Guliar, Utta and also the island of Teor. From all those places could be evacuated a total of 172 people, consisting of 7 muslims, 18 protestants and 147 catholics. They are now being sheltered in a R.C. Church in Batugantung /Ambon. Father Agus Laritembun evaluates this mission as follows: The circumstances under which these christians had chosen to become islam, can be summarized as follows: their villages destroyed / their possessions looted / their crops and fruit trees destroyed / being under permanent threat of being slaughtered. The choice to become islam under such circumstances cannot be called free . The local muslim village heads assured the investigation team that there was no need to bring their christian captives on board of the ship, since they were safe in these villages. In some cases specifically in Kelbuta and Kelbo while the christians walked to the shore to be brought to the ship for questioning, women and children were withheld to come along. Being questioned on the ship, fearing for the lives of their wives and children on the shore, quite a lot pronounced their wish to adhere to their new religion (islam),. Those who had already got on the ship and wanted to be evacuated, were not allowed to go back to fetch some simple belongings. The ship was meant to be a neutral place for questioning. However, the security forces did not take appropriate measures to prevent muslims getting on the ship freely. Anybody could board the ship. When the ship anchored off the village of Tanah Baru, a laskar jihad leader, Ibrahim Lamade, having boarded the ship, returned to the shore, telling the people that the situation on the ship was out of control, which was totally untrue, thus causing turmoil on the shore. The christians that could be questioned in a sealed off location on the ship, acknowledged that they had become islam solely because they had no choice than doing so in order to save their lives. Those who were questioned so that they could be overheard or witnessed by muslims, confessed that they had chosen to convert to islam of their own free will . This is rather astonishing, since the christian religion has had adherents on Kesui since 107 years already. It is hardly to believe that suddenly so many of them want to go over to islam& CIRCUMCISION - Refugees from Kesui confirm that the circumcising of the hundreds of christians on Kesui was carried out using just one razor blade ( Gilette ) for all of them, causing heavy bleeding and also infection to a number of them, whereupon they were sent into the sea for disinfection . Women, too, were circumcised, removing their clitoris.   CONCLUSION - On the island of Kesui, of the 692 catholics, it has been ascertained that at least 473 are still alive and have been islamised. Nothing is known about the fate of the other 219 catholic residents: where they are, whether they are still alive, whether they are still catholics or have already become muslims. On the island of Teor, of the 841 catholics, 142 have already been islamised, about 300 have succeeded to flee to the island of Kei Kecil, whereas the remaining 400 still hold out on Teor. So of the 1.533 catholics on the islands of Kasui and Teor, 615 have been forced to become islam or preferred becoming islam to losing their lives. There are on these islands also several hundreds of protestant christians who have become islam in the same way. The governor of the Moluccas has conceded that on both islands (like earlier also happened to several thousands of christians on the islands of Buru, Ceram and Bacan) forced islamisation is taking place. He will do his utmost to free and evacuate these christians, but he is apparently at a loss how-on-earth he will do this. We suppose that only help from outside can bring solution. Otherwise this process of forced islamisation which takes place in virtually all places where the christians are cornered will go on and on& B. CHRISTMAS AND IDUL-FITRI - Christmas (December 25-26) and Idul-Fitri (December 27-28) were celebrated in Ambon and elsewhere in the Moluccas without disturbance. Suara Maluku newspaper reports that the Governor s mansion, situated in the christian neighbourhood of Mangga Dua, became a platform of reconciliation when on Wednesday December 27 the traditional reception on occasion of Idul-Fitri was held: guests from both sides exchanged Christmas and Idul-Fitri wishes, often accompanied by hugging each other. The same encouraging situation could be witnessed the following day on a similar occasion at the Police Chief Commander s mansion, also in Mangga Dua. Note: In our latest Report we mentioned Ankara News Agency , this should be: ANTARA National News Agency. Received via e-mail from : Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina Copyright © 1999-2000  - 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