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, April 8, 2005
THE SITUATION IN AMBON/MOLUCCAS - Report No. 475
1. ANTICIPATING RMS ANNIVERSARY – Anticipating any irregularities on April 25,
anniversary of the separatist RMS movement, a number of RMS / FKM prisoners will
be moved out of the Moluccas. Most notorious among them is Moses Tuanakotta,
secretary-general of the Moluccas Sovereignty Front (FKM). On November 29, 2004,
he was sentenced by the Ambon District Court to nine years in prison for subversion.
After appealing to a higher court his sentence was increased to twelve years
confinement. He will be transferred to Surabaya. The total number of RMS/FKM
prisoners in Ambon is 48.
Meanwhile Moluccas Police Chief Brigjen Aditya Warman is pondering to have a
curfew in Ambon during those hazardous days.
Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu is having dialogues with religious leaders and others in
connection with the upcoming 25th of April.
The police has made up a list of locations where RMS flag hoisting likely might occur.
Security forces in their house-to-house search for weaponry had considerable
success recently in the Urimessing and Ponegoro areas, city of Ambon, where rifles,
pistols, some bombs and ammunition were confiscated.
2. CACHE OF 26 BOMBS – An accumulation of not fewer than 26 home-made
bombs was discovered in a house in the Waehaong neighbourhood, city of Ambon,
apparently meant as ready stock for April 25th. Police investigation revealed Hasan
Minangkabau’s nearby workshop as the place of assembling the bombs. Hasan was
arrested and also Rusdi bin Tahir, owner of the house. The bombs had been
manufactured by Hasan’s son, Hamdani Paja – who managed to escape. Rahman
Holle, a Provincial Legislative Council member of the Golkar Party, is thought to have
been sponsoring this nefarious activity.
3. PROGRESS IN SOLVING SHOOTING INCIDENT – Last February 15, a Karaoke
Villa on the shore at Wailete / Hative Besar was fired at from a speedboat at sea,
killing two and injuring two. Now the police has succeeded in arresting the helmsman
of that boat, named Maurets Talaperu. The owner of the boat, pendeta (minister) John
Sahalessy, was arrested as well, allegedly because obstructing the police in carrying
out their investigation activities.
4. CORRUPTION – Chairman of the North Moluccas Legislative Council, Mr. Iqbal
Ruray, has been arrested on charges of corruption. In the Province of the Moluccas 21
lawsuits on corruption are being processed, 17 of these concern government
employees. Several hundreds of others are under investigation, but all of these are
regarded as “small fish”; most “big fishes” supposedly are still at large.
5. EARTH TREMORS – Since the recent devastating earthquake at Nias island, the
station of Metereology and Geophysica at Ternate, North Moluccas, reports tremors
between four and five on the Richter Scale, at least twice or three times every day.
The tremors are centered in the Laut Maluku (Moluccas Sea) between Ternate and
Sulawesi (Celebes) at a distance of about 250 km from Ternate. People, however, are
told that there is no reason to panic.
NB As since more than a month we have trouble in opening our hotmail addresses,
please when contacting us, use the above mentioned e-mail address. Thank you.
C.J.Böhm msc,
Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina |
