The Jakarta Post, 4/23/2002 4:53:39 PM
Police chief supports night curfew in Ambon
JAKARTA (JP): National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said on Tuesday that the
police force supported the imposition of a night curfew by the Maluku civilian
emergency authorities in the Malukuprovincial capital of Ambon.
"It's within the power of the civil emergency authorities there to impose a night curfew.
We will support it," Da'i said as quoted by Antara before attending a security
coordination meeting at the office of the Coordinating Minister for Politicaland Security
Affairs.
Da'i, however, said that once the security situation in Ambon improved, the curfew
policy should be reviewed.
The police chief said no additional troops would be sent to Maluku in anticipation of
the planned celebration of the anniversary of the declaration of the South Maluku
Republic (RMS) on Thursday.
He maintained that separatism was a violation of the law, and would not go
unpunished.
The civil emergency administrator in Maluku has announced that a night curfew will be
imposed from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. from April 23 until April 27, a report said.
"This is to anticipate moves by the Maluku Sovereignty Front (FKM) to hoist the flag
of the separatist South Maluku Republic (RMS), which will celebrate the anniversary
of its founding onApril 25," Deputy Governor Paula Renyaan said in the Maluku
provincial capital of Ambon on Monday.
Renyaan said that after April 27, the curfew would again be 12 midnight to 5 a.m.
Maluku, which is trying to recover from a three-year sectarian conflict that has killed
more than 5,000 people and displaced more than 500,000 others, has been under a
state of civil emergency since September 2000.
Under the emergency, the government, as the ultimateadministrator of the civil
emergency, has the right to order the arrest of people without warrants, disband
organizations and crowds, impose curfews, and issue orders for the closure of certain
areas to outsiders.
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