AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, Wednesday May 1, 2002 3:15 PM
Too hard to arrest leader of Islamic militia: Maluku governor
The governor of Indonesia's strife-torn Maluku province said it was too difficult to arrest
the leader of the Islamic militia accused of involvement in a weekend massacre of
Christians.
"We need to think carefully of the consequences, especially for the local people,"
governor Saleh Latuconsina was quoted as saying by the Antara news agency on
Wednesday.
Local Christians have accused Laskar Jihad, a Java-based militant Muslim movement,
of involvement in a pre-dawn attack near the provincial capital Ambon on Sunday
which left 13 Christian villagers dead.
The bloodshed was the worst since a peace accord was signed in February to bring
an end to three years of sectarian killings in the once-fabled Spice Islands. Laskar
Jihad is opposed to the peace deal.
The militia's commander, Jaffar Umar Thalib, had implored local Muslims two days
before the attack to wage war on Christian supporters of the small separatist Republic
of South Maluku movement, according to Ambon-based Dutch priest Cornelius Bohm.
Survivors said masked attackers yelled "Allah Akbar" (God is Great) and spoke
Javanese as they rampaged through the villages on Sunday, armed with M-16 rifles,
swords and home-made bombs.
Police have promised to investigate whether Laskar Jihad fighters were involved, and
the government has ordered the arrest of those behind the attack.
Bohm told AFP there had been calls in Ambon for Thalib to be arrested over his
"provocative" speech on Friday, but local police had said they were awaiting orders
from Latuconsina to detain him.
Latuconsina said Wednesday orders for Thalib's arrest had been issued a long time
ago, but there were no plans to do so in the near future as authorities were still
waiting for security forces to be ready for such a move.
Maluku authorities were also considering what might happen if the arrest orders were
carried out, the governor said.
Local Christians have complained about inaction against Thalib and his followers, who
have long been accused of waging attacks on Christians since they descended on the
Maluku islands two years ago.
"People are feeling deserted by the authorities. We're at a loss as to who will protect
the Christians," Bohm said by phone from Ambon.
"They should just arrest Jaffar Umar Thalib."
Bitter sectarian conflict between Christians and Muslims has engulfed Maluku from
early 1999 and claimed more than 5,000 lives since.
The government brokered a peace agreement in February that was signed by
representatives of both communities. The fragile calm was shattered in early April by
a bomb blast in Ambon city that killed at least four people.
Laskar Jihad has rejected the peace pact, charging that the signatories are not
representative of those in conflict.
Copyright © 2001 AFP. All rights reserved.
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