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 20, 2004
THE SITUATION IN AMBON/MOLUCCAS - Report No. 458
1. FIGHTING BETWEEN VILLAGES - There seems to be no end to fighting between
muslim villages. This time - in the afternoon of December 17 - the villages of Tehulale
and Tala, both not far from Kairatu on the South coast of the island of Ceram, had a
severe clash, resulting in one person being killed by a homemade grenade.
2. ONGOING SEARCH FOR KIDNAPPED MINISTER. - Last December 2, a
Pentecostal Minister, Joram Hardi Ratu, was kidnapped from his house in the village
of Labuang, sub-district of Namrole, South Buru (see Report 456). All efforts to trace
the parson and his captors up to now have not yielded any result.
3. AMBON TO BE VISITED BY MEGAWATI - Megawati Soekarnoputri is scheduled
to arrive in Ambon today. She is the national chairperson of the PDI-P party and
predecessor of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as the President of Indonesia. This
evening she will attend a Christmas Celebration in the Baileo Siwalima Meeting Hall,
Karang Panjang, city of Ambon.
4. PRESIDENT WILL VISIT AMBON ON DECEMBER 26 - The President of the
Republic of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, after celebrating Christmas in
Papua, will come to Ambon on December 26. On that occasion he is scheduled to
inaugurate several Houses of Worship in Ambon and Passo.
5. SECURITY AROUND CHRISTMAS AND NEW-YEAR - During the Christmas and
New-Year's celebrations, all churches in Ambon will have special protection by armed
forces to forestall any irregularities to happen.
6. TOURISM - During the period January-October 2004, the number of tourists
entering the Moluccas increased to 1200 (during the whole year of 2003 it was 1000).
The Tourist Office of Ambon has stepped up its efforts to propagate the current
security of the Moluccas and its various tourist attractions. According to "Ambon
Ekspres" daily, there is already certainty on at least 400 tourists coming to visit
Ambon in February 2005.
7. CHRISTMAS GREETINGS - Msgr. P.C. Mandagi, bishop of Amboina, herewith
sends his sincere wishes for a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year to all those
who care to read these reports and thus care for the Moluccas. May likewise the New
Year be a blessing for all.
C.J.Böhm msc,
Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina |
