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, Mei 4, 2004
THE SITUATION IN AMBON/MOLUCCAS – Report No. 430
1. FKM MEMBERS DETAINED - On May 2nd , 32 FKM (separist Forum Kedaulatan
Maluku) members were detained and are being kept in custody now at Police HQ
Ambon. The detainees were added to earlier arrested FKM Secretary Mozes
Tuanakotta and Alex Manuputty's wife Olly and daughter Christine. All of them will be
brought to court.
2. SITUATION FAIRLY UNDER CONTROL - The general situation in Ambon has
improved during these last few days. Many refugees have returned to their homes
(insofar still intact). The road that connects Ambon city with the western
neighbourhoods of Manggadua, Batugantung etc. is open to traffic again. Police chief
commander Bambang Sutrisno said that he hoped the citizens of Ambon would
cooperate in recovering peace and mutual understanding, among others by removing
the barricades and by not letting oneself be provoked.
3. UNSUCCESSFUL VISIT NATIONAL POLICE CHIEF - In the late afternoon of
Monday, April 3, National Police chief General Da'i Bachtiar arrived in Ambon in order
to meet civil authorities and Muslim and Christian leaders, totalling about 100
persons. The meeting was held in the Aula Masariku 733 of military HQ, Ambon.
However the meeting, which lasted for only one hour, ended in disarray.
Those present were addressed by speakers, including Da'i Bachtiar himself, Muslim
preacher Abdullah Gymnastiar (better known as "AA Gym") and Indonesian
Communion of Churches (PGI) chairman Nathan Setiabudi. Not surprisingly, AA Gym
had his own way of reading the Moluccas conflict. He said: "The people of the
Moluccas are brave. It needs courage to burn some hundreds of houses and other
facilities. Now prove your courageousness as well in rebuilding what you have
destroyed".
Neverthess the meeting was a failure. There was no opportunity for any dialogue, the
"bosses" from Jakarta only talked and said had no time to listen, "like, in the
oldfashioned way, schoolchildren had to listen to their teachers" said Msgr. Mandagi
afterwards to the press.
When Da'i was leaving the aula, he was stopped by a very angry Muslim leader,
named Abdurachman Nivinubun. Military commander Maj.Gen. Syarifuddin Sumah
and other local senior officers tried to calm Abdurachman, but he insisted on
speaking. "Allow me to speak here. National Police chief, I want to talk to you for a
while. The current unrest, which is a continuation of the April 25 incident, is part of a
big scenario aimed at destroying the Moluccas." He argued that the security forces
apparently were not able to prevent Moluccas Sovereignty Front (FKM) members from
staging a separatist rally last April 25.
Hereupon Christian youth leader Josias Polnaya joined him and said angrily that the
meeting had failed to bring about a peaceful solution, as it did not give the chance for
participants to air their views or grievances.
Da'i answered that the police would take action "proportionally and professionally" to
stop the conflict.
C.J.Böhm msc,
Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina |
