The Jakarta Post, 4/24/2005 2:32:37 PM
Police arrest suspected Maluku pro-independence activist
AMBON, Maluku (AFP): Police in the eastern Indonesian town of Ambon have
detained a suspected independence activist for questioning ahead of Monday's
anniversary of a separatist uprising, a detective said Sunday.
"Roni Rijoli has been on our list of wanted men," Maluku province's chief police
detective, Bambang Hermanu, told journalists. He said Rijoli was believed to be an
activist of the outlawed separatist South Maluku Republic(RMS.)
Rijoli was arrested with his wife, Rosana Ohelo, at their home in Ambon late Saturday
after a search of their house yielded evidence including communication equipment and
documents, he said.
The police in Ambon have been on alert in anticipation of the RMS anniversary
Monday. Last year the day was marked by unrest that lasted more than a week and
left more than 30 people dead.
The RMS was crushed shortly after its declaration in 1950 but the movement revived
following the fall of authoritarian president Suharto in 1998.
Ambon and other islands in the Maluku chain were the scene of a sectarian conflict
that left more than 5,000 Christians and Muslims dead. The government sponsored
peace talks in 2002 but sporadic violence and tensions persist.(*)
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