LAKSAMANA.Net, May 4, 2004 11:29 PM
Maluku Police Chief Replaced
Laksamana.Net - Maluku Police chief Brigadier General Bambang Sutrisno was
replaced Tuesday (4/5/04) because of his failure to handle recent Christian-Muslim
clashes that left at least 38 people dead in the provincial capital Ambon.
"This doesn't mean he failed, but there were several shortcomings, so we need to
replace him to safeguard the security situation, especially for the upcoming
presidential election," National Police spokesman Inspector General Paiman was
quoted as saying by detikcom online news portal.
After a peaceful general election last month, Indonesians will go to the polls again on
July 5 for the country's first ever direct presidential election. Some analysts have
speculated the Ambon violence may be linked to rivalry between presidential aspirants
from the military.
National Police chief General Dai Bachtiar had been under strong pressure to fire
Sutrisno amid criticism he failed to anticipate and control the violence.
Some critics even claimed that elements of the police might have been involved in
planning or fanning the riots, as the military and police took sides in sectarian killings
that left about 6,000 people dead in the Malukus over 1999-2002.
Sutrisno was replaced by Brigadier General Adityawarman, who previously served as
an operational assistant to Bachtiar.
Paiman said Sutrisno would be transferred to a desk job at National Police
headquarters in Jakarta although his new position had not yet been determined.
Sutrisno accepted his dismissal and expressed hope his replacement would be able
to do a better job. "This is a binding decision. At 11am I received a direct telephone
call from the National Police chief informing me I had been replaced," he said.
Meanwhile, Paiman said police had arrested 34 suspects in connection with the
Ambon violence, including the wife and daughter of Alex Manuputty, the exiled leader
of the outlawed, predominantly Christian Maluku Sovereignty Front (FKM).
Manuputty's wife and daughter were arrested Saturday and will be charged with
treason. Manuputty and his colleague Samuel Waileruni were arrested in 2002 and
later sentenced to three years in jail for inciting their followers to hoist banned RSM
flags. Manuputty fled to the United States last year while waiting for his appeal to be
heard by the Supreme Court.
The sectarian riots erupted on April 25 after FKM members rallied to celebrate the
54th anniversary of the ill-fated proclamation of the South Maluku Republic (RMS).
The march turned violent when Muslim nationalists hurled abuse and stones at the
Christian separatists, sparking clashes between the two communities. As the
violence intensified, hundreds of buildings were torched, bombs were detonated and
unidentified snipers shot civilians and police.
State news agency Antara quoted Sutrisno as saying police had killed four snipers,
although it was unclear when the shootings occurred.
Paiman said that although a series of "sweeping raids" had failed to find any snipers,
police had managed to restore calm to much of Ambon.
Antara reported that several streets previously barricaded by armed residents
reopened on Tuesday under heavy police and military guard.
Rp2 Million For the Dead
The government will provide compensation of Rp2 million to the relatives of each
person killed in the riots, Social Affairs Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah said Tuesday
during a visit to Ambon.
"The government also will give other help, such as food assistance," he added.
Copyright © 2000 - 2004 Laksamana.net, All Rights Reserved.
|
