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, December 16, 2004
THE SITUATION IN AMBON/MOLUCCAS - Report No. 457
1. INCIDENTS OF CONFLICT AND VIOLENCE - Friction and conflicts between
groups and villages are no exception any more. Some recent samples:
SANANA, Sula Islands, North Moluccas: The muslim villages of Falahu and Waibau,
near the town of Sanana, recently had a nasty clash, resulting in five people being
seriously injured, whereas several dozen others suffered minor injuries. A number of
houses and shops was burned down..
HITU, island of Ambon: In the evening of December 14, two muslim villages got
involved in mutual quarrel, namely Hitu Lama and Hitu Messing, two neighbouring
villages on the North coast of Ambon island. The conflict resulted in eleven residents
being injured and six houses destroyed. Weaponry consisted of machetes, spears
and homemade grenades.
LISABATA, West Ceram. In our Report 454 we already reported on the tenseness
between the village of Lisabata and three neighbouring villages of Nuniali, Wokolo and
Patahue. Ill feeling between Lisabata and Nuniali started building up when people from
Nuniali arrived from their refugees shelters in Taniwel and started to clean up the ruins
of their houses close to Lisabata without proper reporting to the village chief of
Lisabata. The incident - last December 14 - was restricted to mutual chasing thanks
to the timely intervention of the police chief of Taniwel.
2. SAILOR SHOT DEAD - On December 15 Farhan Bakri, an engineer of the MS
Cantika Pratama 02, was shot dead by a policeman who had been assigned to watch
over the ship. The ship was in the Banda Sea then, on its route from Tual to Ambon.
The policeman seems to have been under influence of alcoholics.
3. FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE PERSONNEL ENTERING - According to "Siwalima"
daily newspaper, Military chief Kodam XVI Pattimura Major Gen. Syarifudin
acknowledges that there are indications of outside intelligence personnel intruding into
the Moluccas. He could, however, not ascereain whether they where either FBI, or
CIA or other agents. Neither their whereabouts nor their mission were apparent. He
said that - in coordination with the police forces - investigation was underway.
4. TRANSMIGRATION SOURCE OF CONFLICT - Cabinet Minister of Transmigration
Fahmi Idris on occasion of the 54th anniversary of Transmigration Day last December
13, conjectured that the national transmigration program which has been carried out
since 1950, is the factual cause of the many conflicts that occur in Indonesia lately.
Usually the newcomers enjoy various kinds of privileges and funds, whereas nobody
cares about the local population. This fosters envy and resentment. On the other hand
- he contended - it cannot be denied that not seldom transmigration is a blessing for
certain regions.
C.J.Böhm msc,
Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina |
