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 9, 2003
THE SITUATION IN AMBON/MOLUCCAS – Report No. 400
1. ALEX MANUPUTTY RELEASED – At the trial against Alex Manuputty and
Semmy Waeleruny at the district court of North Jakarta on December 19, 2002, five
years inprisonment was demanded (Report 337). Both are leaders of the FKM (Front
Kedaulatan Maluku = South Moluccas Independence Movement) and were accused of
unlawful activities, specifically by ordering the RMS flag to be hoisted in the Moluccas
on April 25, 2002 (Reports 267 sqq.). Since meanwhile their maximum term of remand
detention has elapsed, they have been released – according to law.
2. IRREGULARITIES AMONG POLICE OFFICERS – Moluccas Deputy Police Chief
Bambang Suedy revealed to the local mass media that all of his officers yield to the
temptation to receive hush-money from unlawful-gamble operators, so that nobody
among these law-breakers is ever brought to justice. He said: "It is time to move all of
these officers elsewhere".
3. WITHDRAWAL MILITARY FORCES POSTPONED – Since last September the
Civil Emergency for the Moluccas was lifted, the responsibility for law and order has
been returned to the Police. However, it has been decided that up to May 2004, five
battalions of military forces will be maintained in the Moluccas and North Moluccas to
back up the police forces. Thus was declared to the mass media by Moluccas
Military Chief Commander Agustadi Sasongko Purnomo.
4. QUARREL IN THE NORTH MOLUCCAS – A North Moluccas newspaper, Malut
Pos, reports that on November 1, a quarrel over use of a water source occurred in the
Loloda sub-district between youngsters from a Christian village, Buo, and a Muslim
village, Soasio. Both young groups were taken to the local police office to settle the
dissent. However, the following day about fifty people from Buo came to Soasio and
threw stones at the housing complex. The stones unintentionally hit a nearby
mosque. The Provincial Government now has appointed a team to facilitate a dialogue
between the two communities.
The Moluccas Regional Police Office intends to deploy two companies of BRIMOB
police forces to the North Moluccas as precaution.
N.B. New E-mail address Paulien. Contact person Mrs. Paulien Sofie Joel-Parera is
well-known to a number of our readers. She recently changed her e-mail address:
from joel@ambon.wasantara.net.id into: sofiejoel@hotmail.com and
sofiejoelparera@yahoo.com
C.J.Böhm msc,
Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina |
