Oktovianus Pinontoan, The Jakarta Post, Ambon
A court martial held in the troubled Maluku province's capital
city of Ambon sentenced a soldier to three years and six months in
jail on Tuesday for his involvement in a series of bombings in the
eastern Indonesian city before last February's peace deal was
signed.
Chief Pvt. Kanafi, a member of the security task force in Ambon,
was also dishonorably discharged from the Indonesian Military (TNI)
for his role in provoking trouble in Maluku.
Military prosecutors had demanded the death penalty or at least
a life sentence for the defendant.
The court martial's judges found Kanafi guilty of involvement
in at least nine bombing incidents across Maluku since he was
assigned to the strife-torn province.
The latest bomb blast, in which he played a key role, damaged
the Maluku governor's office on Nov. 30, 2001. No casualties were
reported.
Six days earlier, Kanafi also hurled a bomb in a street
adjacent to a Maluku Protestant church, the court added.
The court martial, however, failed to reveal the motive behind
Kanafi's involvement in the bombings nor the masterminds. Neither
was it able to reveal whether the defendant was obeying his
commander's orders or working on his own behalf.
The judges, presided over by Col. Supiandi, simply said Kanafi
was trying to disrupt the security situation in Ambon.
It was the first court verdict of any kind handed down against
trouble-makers in Maluku since fighting first broke out between
Muslims and Christians in January 1999. The religious conflict
raged on until recently with some 6,000 people killed in three
years.
Leaders from both warring factions signed a peace pact on Feb.
12, 2002, to end the clashes. Yet, it seems to have been
ineffective as sporadic attacks and bombings are still terrorizing
local people.
Kanafi was arrested along with Aras Pantororeng, a civilian
resident living in the Christian area of Batumerah, by local
security forces who stopped their Yamaha RX King motorcycle.
The security personnel seized a five-kilogram bomb from Kanafi
at the time of the arrest.
But, Aras, who was expected to be a key witness against Kanafi,
later escaped from detention in an Ambon police station and his
whereabouts remains unknown.
Hearing the verdict being read out by the presiding judge,
Kanafi appeared to cry.
Responding to the sentence, Kanafi's lawyer, Second Lt. Ery
Subianto, said his client would decide in one week whether to file
an appeal against the verdict.