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, October 19, 2003
THE SITUATION IN AMBON/MOLUCCAS – Report No. 393
1. WATCHING POSO – The authorities in the Moluccas are closely watching the
disastrous events in the Poso and Morowali area, Central Celebes. On October 15,
2003, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs (MenKoPolKam), Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono, was in Posso. He declared to the press that it had been found
out that the attacks had been carried out by a joint band of people both from outside
and from Poso itself. They proved to be skilled warriors and had meticulously prepared
the assault on the various villages. Meanwhile additional police and military forces
have been sent in. Local military authorities acknowledge that there are still many
weapons to be found among the population, left-overs from the unrest in the region
several years ago. National military Chief Commander Endriartono Sutarto declared
that the identity of this small criminal gang is known and also their hiding place.
However, they have not yet been given clearance, as their task is only to back up
police forces.
2. MILITARY DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN DEADLY ATTACKS IN CELEBES –
Laksamana.Net reports that the military has denied any involvement in the deadly
attacks on Christian villages in Central Sulawesi province, which left at least 11
Christians dead and 12 wounded after a band of gunmen wearing masks attacked
their villages over October 9-12.
3. MOTIVES OF THE UNREST IN THE POSO AREA - Ambon Ekspres daily quotes
Hendroproiyono, head of the National Intelligence (BIN – Badan Intelijen Negara),
saying that the perpetrators are persons that still oppose the Malino agreement of
2001, which ended the Poso conflict. Minister Yudhoyono says intelligence
authorities have discovered the existence of a central training camp in Poso, where
people are being trained how to disturb security through acts of violence. However, he
declined to comment on who was behind these activities, saying Poso and
surrounding areas had been used as a location for creating conflicts by a "certain
group" with a "certain agenda". Certain speculations point to one of Indonesia's most
prominent former generals, Wiranto, who plans to run for the presidency next year and
who has argued that Indonesia needs a leader from the military to overcome its
security problems. Other analysts have speculated the latest killings could have been
carried out by groups linked to the regional terrorism network Jemaah Islamiyah,
which has been blamed for the October 12, 2002, Bali nightclub bombings that killed
202 people.
4. UNREST ON THE ISLAND OF TERNATE – During the night of October 14, 2003,
a resident of the hamlet of Bulah, island of Ternate, North Moluccas, named Usman
Hanafi, was killed. The killing was a revenge on the violent death of Efendi Suepiara
from the nearby village of Sulamadaha who was killed during a festive party in Bulah
last July 9th. The Suepiara clan got infuriated because – according to them – the
police did not bother to arrest the killer, Usman Hanafi. So the Suepiaras, supported
by the whole village of Sulamadaha, decided to execute the killer themselves. The
ensuing tenseness between the two villages was ended following a reconciliation
meeting of the village elders of both places. The three that killed Usman Hanafi have
been arrested and are currently in detention.
5. INCREASED PORNO AND CASES OF RAPE IN AMBON – Dozens of reports on
rape have been presented to the court in Ambon. There is a considerable increase of
these cases compared with last year, the more so when compared to pre-conflict
times. It is supposed that this increased sexual abuse is caused by the spreading of
a large number of porno VCDs. On the Jalan Pattimura alone there are at least six
roadside stalls that sell and rent (often illegally copied) VCDs.
Besides, prostitution is more and more spreading, especially now that the earlier
crackdown on this activity by the Laskar Jihad has evaporated. A distressing effect is
also the undeniable spreading of AIDS in Ambon.
On October 18, some sixty Muslim students, members of the KAMMI (Kesatuan Aksi
Mahasiswa Muslim Indonesia = United Action of Indonesian Muslim Students) held a
peaceful demonstration in front of the Town Hall, demanding the area to be freed from
gambling, alcohol, narcotics and prostitution, especially in regard to the upcoming
holy Ramadhan month. Thus a summary of a report by Maluku Media Centre, Ambon.
C.J.Böhm msc,
Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina |
