Police to confiscate weapons in
the Maluku Islands
Indonesian troops in the Maluku
islands will start operations to seize weapons from civilians
after the expiry of a deadline for the surrender of arms.
The move follows an agreement signed in February to end three
years of Muslim-Christian battles in the islands in which more
than 5,000 people were killed and more than 500,000 made homeless.
Major General Joko Santoso, who heads the military command
overseeing Maluku and North Maluku provinces, said the sweeps for
weapons would start immediately.
General Santoso,said the sweeps would mainly be held on the
streets but houses would also be searched.
Sectarian violence erupted in Ambon, the main city in Maluku, in
January 1999 and quickly spread to the neighbouring islands,
including North Maluku.
A weapons surrender by civilians was part of the agreement reached
in February.
01/07/2002
16:26:13 | ABC Radio Australia News
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