BBC, Monday, 28 June, 2004, 10:56 GMT 11:56 UK
Indonesia flashpoints: The Moluccas
Ever since Indonesia achieved independence in 1949, the Jakarta government has
faced a constant battle to keep the nation's 13,000 islands together.
The Moluccas
Indonesians living in the Moluccas are fearful of a repeat of the violence which blighted
the island chain before a peace deal was struck in 2002.
In the three years before the peace accord, an estimated 5,000 people were killed and
500,000 displaced to other areas of Indonesia.
It was not always this way though. For many years, Christian and Muslim
communities lived peacefully together through traditional village alliances.
But resentments had probably been simmering beneath the surface for some time
before violence erupted in 1999.
Muslims believed that Christians were given the best jobs in the civil service - a
legacy, perhaps, of the fact that under Dutch colonial rule, Christians were offered
better education.
Christians feared that an influx of Muslims from other parts of Indonesia, as part of a
nationwide transmigration project, would make them a vulnerable minority.
These differences were suppressed under the authoritarian rule of former President
Suharto. But after his downfall in 1998, the fault lines were exposed.
THE MOLUCCAS: KEY FACTS
* Island chain which used to be called the Spice Islands
* 54% of inhabitants are Muslim and 44% are Christian
* Between 1999 and 2002, thousands were killed were in clashes
* Peace deal signed in 2002, but sporadic violence continues |
In January 1999, violence finally erupted - sparked by a minor traffic accident on the
island of Ambon.
The conflict quickly spread to the surrounding islands, and thousands of people were
killed in the ensuing mayhem.
Outside agents - including Islamic militant groups such as Laskar Jihad, as well as
armed forces from Jakarta - exacerbated the carnage still further.
The violence continued throughout 2000, but died down by mid-2001.
A peace accord was signed in February 2002, and both sides then set about
rebuilding their lives and restoring order.
For a while it seemed that the peace deal was working.
But in April 2004, more than 40 people died in clashes sparked by an illegal rally by a
Christian gang in Ambon.
With the renewal of sporadic acts of violence, observers have expressed scepticism
about the peace deal's long-term success.
© BBC MMIV
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