Crisis Center PGI, 27 April 2004
Chronology of Ambon Unrest
Ambon 25 April 2004
Sunday, 25 April 2004 a clash occurred between residents which also involved the
security force in Ambon, Maluku. The conflict escalated quickly, number of victims
rises, houses and office buildings were burnt down. The following is some information
which was gathered:
1) Prior to April 2004, rumors and information (both from community and media) has
escalated, which showed that the government and the security force are well aware of
the RMS flag hoisting plan and the celebration of RMS' (Republik Maluku Selatan)
birthday by FKM (Front Kedaulatan Maluku); some facts that supported the prior
statement are:
a) On April 12, 2004, a coordination meeting was done between the local police force
(POLDA), TNI and local government, to anticipate the RMS flag hoisting and RMS'
birthday celebration by FKM. Based on the meeting the Head of Local Police Force
stated, "as long as it does not resulted in an anarchist situation, and they don't hoist
RMS flag, go ahead…".
b) The Maluku local police force through its Public Relations division, has planned on
asking the help of GPM Synod to advise Christians not to hoist the benang raja flag
(RMS Flag) and to help capture the flag hoisters if possible. In a closed conversation
between the POLDA Public Relations party and Church groups, the POLDA party
have strongly stated that there is a concern of "strong force" which will try to justify
their assistance by provoking mass to hoist the RMS flag. According to the
explanation of involved partrty, "similar pattern has been used in other areas in
Indonesia".
c) A rumor has developed in the Muslim communities that those supporting
FKM/RMS will be entering the Muslims residential areas and carrying RMS flags.
2) On 25 April 2004, approximately 2 AM, suddenly electricity was down for roughly 5
minutes in Kudamati area and its surrounding. The area was concentrated by the
supporters of FKM/RMS. Once the electricity was recovered, a number of RMS flags
stood on the streets and trees of Kudamati Area.
3) Sunday, 25 April 2004, FKM/RMS supporters hosted a celebration of RMS'
birthday in the courtyard of dr. Alex Manuputty's house, attended by approximately
300 people. Aside from RMS' flag, the UN flag alsto stood there. After the celebration
ceremony went for 50 minutes, the police force came and captured FKM Secretary
General Moses Tuanakotta, and pulled down the RMS and UN flag. Moses' capture
resulted a mass concentration; when exiting the area the crowd increased up to 200
people. The number of crowd keeps increasing up to 1000 people followed Moses,
who was escorted to the POLDA station, 2.5 km away, by the police force who were
on foot. The condition, in which the number of mass increased, and Moses was
escorted on foot, resulted in a perception that the occurrence was a FKM/RMS
parade. Some of the people crowd followed Moses on foot, others by motorbikes.
4) On the way to the POLDA station, the crown kept on lifting the RMS flags.
Although the flags were confiscated by the police, more flags kept appearing. After a
mass demonstration was done in peace in front of the POLDA station, around 30-40
people were let in to negotiate with the police. Once the representative of the
demonstrators went into the station, the rest of the crowd were then asked to go
home, escorted by the police.
5) After the demonstration incident, the FKM/RMS crowds were transported home,
escorted by the police. As they passed Tugu Trikora area until Pohon Pule area
(around Soa Bali), approximately 12.30 PM, the demonstrators were stopped and
thrown rocks at by anti-FKM/RMS groups, wearing red-white flags as symbol. The
police started firing and 8 people who got hit were then taken to RS Al-Fatah hospital,
furthermore, 20 people were arrested. The firing did not result any more major mass
concentration, but within a short period, bombs and grenades exploded. According to
observations at the scene, it was the explosions that started mass concentration from
both sides of the conflicting parties.
6) The shootings by the police resulted in 6 deaths from those whoe were taken to
Al-FAtah Hospital. The deaths triggered increasing sentiments between the two faiths.
The situation heated up, burnings escalated until Mardika area, where newly rebuilt
houses were burnt. In the Mardika area, one person died, Noke Meyer; she was burnt
to death in one of the houses.
7) An hour later, the situation worsened; burnings occurred in refugee/IDP's residential
areas and camps which were recently built in Poka and Rumatiga areas. The
residents tried to escape the burnings by swimming to the sea, and some evacuated
on boats, some others swam to Galala. The rest who were left was evacuated to Yon
Zipur Base in Poka and Rumatiga.
8) At the same time, the fire continued until Anthony Rhibokh Street. The Muslim
mass entered the area and burnt the UN center. The burnings carried on nearing to
GPM Hospital. Then the mass reversed and moved towards Tugu Trikora, and threw
Molotov bombs and burnt rubber tires at the Silo Church which was recently built at
the center of Ambon City. The mass, identifying themselves using religious symbols,
then attacked each other by throwing things, as well as using bombs and weapons
(assembled?). At the same time, around the area of Tanah Lapang Kecil (Talake) a
groups of mass concentrated, followed by house burnings. Information was also
acquired on few snipers around Tugu Trikora and Anthony Rhibok Street, aiming to
shoot at the residents and security force, resulting in 2 shot victims on the Brimob's
side (security force). The deaths increased tensions and violence intensity.
9) Aside from Al-Fatah Hospital, victims are also taken to Bhakti Rahayu Hospital.
According to TVRI(national TV station) as many as 90 people were hospitalized,
where 10 of them had died. Although so, from the field, an information mentioned that
(up until 25 April evening), shot-wounded victims added up to 98 people, with 29 dead
(19 were Christians and 10 were Muslims). Meanwhile, some patients that were
treated at the GPM Hospital were then evacuated to Bhakti Rahayu Hospital and
Baileo Oikumene Building, because of the fragile situation surrounding GPM Hospital.
10) Based on the information of the security force's movement, it can be concluded
that although the tension, flag hoisting and RMS birthday celebration plan was known,
sufficient action was not taken to prevent the spread of flag hoisting and RMS birthday
celebration act. Few incidents that supports the previous statements are:
a) In the RMS birthday celebration location, which have been suspected as the main
celebrating venue in Ambon City for a while, not preventive measures were taken. The
celebration went on for 50 minutes and the flag was successfully hoisted. Forbidding
the flag hoisting was a start which at the end enabled the security force and the public
to blame FKM/RMS for the incidents. Meanwhile, the security force which patrols the
area prior to RMS birthday celebration was only from Sectoral Police Force of Sirimau
Unit. The patrolling was only done in the main road, it did not enter the PMI Aisle,
where the house of dr Alex Manuputty is located.
b) When shootings occurred around the Tugu Trikora between the two conflicting
masses, none of the TNI personnel was at sight. Only policemen were there to secure
the situation. The situation contradicts the previous night, where a lot of unarmed TNI
personnel spread out in local residential areas, but none of the policemen were at
sight; the TNI spread out was said as a move to anticipate the RMS birthday
celebration.
c) The security force did not do a lot on the scenes when violence, such as the
burnings, occurred.
11) A number of statements from the security force and the local government on the
25 April 2004 violence in Ambon is gathered below:
a) Acting on the present condition the security force has ordered Siaga-1, highest
alertness level for Ambon City. The Kapolres (Head of Police Resort) stated, "RMS is
playing cats-dogs, that's why a lot of RMS flags are hoisted".
b) Governor of Maluku, in an evening broadcast on 25 April 2004 on TVRI Ambon
stated, "The RMS issue has been handled by the security force by making captures,
therefore the communities are asked not to make any actions on themselves".
Meanwhile, Kapolda (Head of Province Police Force) and the Pandam (Regional
Military Command Chief) has asked personnel addition frpm ouside Maluku to Ambon.
Based on the above chronology, few things can be brought up, they are:
1) The violent incidents occurred after the capture of Moses Tuanakotta was let to
happen. The "let to happen" occurrence to the birthday celebration of RMS in dr. Alex
Manuputty house was a part of conflict induction process. Previous to conflict
induction process , there was also a polemic about the RMS flag hoisting on the
mass media, and also from the statement from the Forum Pemuda Muslim Baguala
(FPMB) and Pemuda Reformasi Maluku (PRM), saying that they are ready to fight,
even physically, if needed, against FKM/RMS separatist movement. The evidence of
such "let" of the violent occurrence can be strengthened by the contradictions
reflected in the attitude of the security force pre and post 25 April 2004. Previous to 25
April 2004, the security force have anticipated the situation and have made
anticipative statements. Although so, as violence broke, there were very limited
security personnel on duty, these personnel did not take any firm actions.
2) Trigger incident, which was the incident that resulted the collective violent acts
between residents, is actually the incident where the initial demonstrators, going
home, were stopped and thrown at. It seems like the trigger incident did not receive
enough attention, instead the information was overturned, saying that the trigger was
the FKM/RMS mass parade. From the chronological report, it is obvious that what
happened was not a planned parade. The mass escorts, occurred because Moses
Tuanakotta was escorted on foot by the police, were seen as a parade because they
were carrying flags, even though it was not a parade. The 2.5 km escorting was very
provocative and obviously generated increase of mass. As additional information,
Ambon is a small city, therefore such mass display will definitely attract attention.
The slow and not firm actions from the security force and local government have
enabled the possibility of slowness of conflict escalation prevention. Rumors and
issues developed before 25 April 2004 and during the shootings at Tugu Trikora to
Pohon Pule have also induce the conflict condition and enabled the conflict to erupt in
a number of area points inside and outside Ambon City. Burnings in the area points
are coincidentally areas where rehabilitation and rebuilding efforts are ongoing and
also where process of acceptance between the communities are underway. Collective
violent acts occurred on 25 April 2004 have destructed the area and disappointed the
critical effort of returning the IDPs which was currently initiated.
3) Based on the above analysis, it can be said that the collective violent acts between
residents in 25 April 2004 in Ambon is not triggered by inter-faith factors. The incident
occurred because the heat of previous inter-faith problem, which was still in process of
reconciliation effort, was reset alight again by using the political issue of RMS.
Monday, 26 April 2004
1. Since 04.00 WIT (Eastern Indonesia Time), rioting mass have acted by entering
residential areas in Talake, and they have managed to burn a part of the UKIM
campus , the part which could be saved from the previous riot, leaving nothing
standing of the campus building. Until 11 am, attacking mass have burnt the
residential areas on the skirts of Wainitu and kept on going to enter OSM area.
Meanwhile, from field monitoring, the requested help of a battalion from Brimob Kelapa
Dua squad have arrived in Ambon City this morning (26/4). Later in the afternoon,
another battalion from TNI AD, with no clarity of squad origins, is scheduled to arrive
in Ambon. Acquired information said that 5 additional force battalion was requested at
this beginning stage. Until this afternoon, the tension is still high, and numbers of
victims have not yet been confirmed. (*****)
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