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, 4 February 2005
THE SITUATION IN AMBON/MOLUCCAS - Report No. 465
1. TWO YEARS FOR WIFE ALEX MANUPUTTY - For her part in her husband's
separatist activities, Mrs. Oly Manuputty has been sentenced to two years
imprisonment by the District Court of the Moluccas. Mrs. Oly is the wife of Alex
Manuputty, leader of the FKM (Front Kedaulatan Maluku), Movement for South
Moluccas Independence. Alex managed to escape to the USA in November 2003. His
wife and also his daughter, Mrs. Kristin Kakiasina, were detained in the beginning of
May 2004 and together with the Secretary General of the FKM, Moses Tuanakotta,
taken to Jakarta to be interrogated at National Police HQ in connection with their part
in the celebration of the 54th anniversary of the separatist RMS Movement on April 25,
2004 (see Reports 429-431). Kristin Kakiasina was declared not guilty.
2. REFUGEES REFUSE TO LEAVE THE BARRACKS - "Do not worry about
tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own"
(Gospel according to St. Matthew 6:34). It seems that many christian refugees apply
this advice to themselves quite to the letter! Not a few of the christians that have
already received their share of building materials, sell it to others, while preferring to
stay in the longsheds where life is cheap, where in many cases they live not far from
their work or where they have a field with crops not far off etc. But not seldom there is
a more serious reason for their preferring to stay where they are: they are still scared
to return to their original places. Thus, for instance, those that should return to Poka /
Rumahtiga, two connected villages on the opposite site of the Bay of Ambon. Though
traffic passes through without any difficulty and even one of the ferryboats from Galala
to Rumahtiga is operating again, nevertheless, many christians cannot yet overcome
a sense of fear, based on earlier events, such as the experiment of returning refugees
there in October 2003. Apparently the two parties could not yet live in good harmony
then, resulting in the destruction of some houses that were being built by returningt
refugees (see Report 395). So now they complain that their safety is insufficiently
guaranteed: there are only three security posts, which lie 2-3 km from each other. So
the refugees take the building materials that have been dropped for them in
Poka/Rumahtiga, back to their refugee site and prefer to sell it rather than letting the
cement turn into stone.
Another obstacle is the fact that not seldom their original sites are now occupied by
others. Elsewhere, too, among others in Ahuru, at the outskirts of Ambon, disputes
about ground ownership have emerged. The Diocese of Amboina may probably decide
to bring this matter to court. But even when justified, this does not dissipate people's
fear to return there.
Meanwhile the government is intending to tear down the refugees' barracks and to
order private organisations (like our Crisis Centre) to do likewise, thus forcing the
people to - indeed - "worry about tomorrow".
Refugees that have returned to the village of Kariu (island of Haruku) complained that
their temporary compound is often being thrown at with stones. So a security post
has been established there.
C.J.Böhm msc,
Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina |
