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 22, 2005
THE SITUATION IN AMBON/MOLUCCAS - Report No. 494
1. VIGILANCE – Under the nation-wide threat of terrorist activities to be carried out
around Christmas and New-Year, in Ambon and Ternate watchfulness has been
stepped up by means of various measures:
- Intensive checking on people's identity cards by the police. Police Precinct Chief
Edy Purwatmo in Ternate declared that in this way they hope to forestall Dr. Azhari's
accomplices entering the North Moluccas. The possibility of terrorists selecting the
North Moluccas as refuge or hidingplace is far from imaginary, especially as it is only
at a short distance from the southern Philippines.
- Checking on identity cards in Ambon is most intensively done during the late
evening, both on vehicles as on private persons. Pattimura Airport is under special
vigilance.
- Starting last night, at several church compounds in Ambon, church members began
to carry out night watch. This will go on at least until New Years's festivities are over.
2. POLICE VS MILITARY – For many years already there has been a rivalry between
police personnel and soldiers. Time and again this rivalry results in open clashes.
Recently this happened in Tual. It happened also in the Ambon Waihaong area in the
early hours of November 21. Locals were raised from their sleep by the sound of
gunfire. There was also throwing of stones of both sides at each other. The result was
three civilians being injured, eight cars and six houses damaged. Such unrest has
usually its source in minor frictions, such as a simple rebuke by a policeman towards
a military serviceman – like was the case in Waihaong yesterday during a wedding
party. The regularly happening of such skirmishes makes ordinar residents feel
themselves rather unprotected by lack of professionality and reliability of those who
should watch over the population rather than indulge in infantile rivalry.
3. STAIN CHAIRMAN TO BE QUESTIONED AGAIN – We read in The Jakarta Post
newspaper that police investigators are planning to question again Muhammad
Attamimi, the chairman of the Muslim Academy "STAIN" in Ambon for his role in the
alleged storage of weapons and explosives within the institute's compound (see
Report 478). The weapons and explosives were found on May 19, 2005, Attamimi then
was questioned in his capacity as a witness in the case on May 31. He now may face
interrogation over his alleged links with several terror groups that have been waging
terror in the Moluccas in the past few years. Drs Mohammad Attamimi once played a
significant role in the conflict (see for instance our Reports 168, 170 and 175).
C.J.Böhm msc,
Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina |
