Cover Story
Witnesses' Tunes
A number of youths in Ambon have been persuaded by persons claiming to be TNI or
police personnel to provoke and wreak havoc. The reward is money, the seduction is
deadly.
Deserting soldiers and policemen in Maluku cannot fight alone. In turn, they need
troops to carry out field maneuvers. In the atmosphere of rancor prevailing over the
past three years, in fact it's not difficult for them to recruit "private soldiers". But it's
not always easy either. That's why they also have to possess the power of
persuasion.
The exact number of youngsters they have recruited is not known. One sure thing
though is that the recruitment has made the cycle of conflict in Maluku keep turning.
Youths from two camps-Muslim and Christian-are mobilized to provoke each other.
They are trained to use firearms, explode grenades, penetrate enemy lines and even
generate terror among initiators of peace.
Deserters usually target youths, asking them to be present at "bases" already
determined. There, they are physically drilled, trained in zone penetration and the use
of grenades and firearms. As an incentive, the renegades also promise them rewards.
Though unfamiliar with explosives, the juveniles are directly employed, amongst
others, to blow up several fixed locations. If successful, they can return to their
"stations" and receive bonuses-also money.
These youngsters generally call their trainers members of Sandy Yudha Kopassus
(Army Special Forces), who are in Ambon. In the restive city, there are around 300
Kopassus men. A number of witnesses have cited the names of some members as
recruiters.
Sandy Yudha commander Maj. Imam Santoso, however, has denied any desertions
from his force and rejected the accusation of training juveniles to stoke the conflict in
Maluku. "There are no Hendrik, Sutorno or Ridwan in our unit," Santoso told TEMPO.
Anyway, the youths indeed frequently refer to the three as having persuaded or forced
them to join, and trained them to use guns. Following are the confessions of several of
the recruits to TEMPO.
Chandra Lattan
(16, high school student in Ambon)
On April 20, 2002, Hendrik, Ridwan and Sutorno, who claimed to be members of
Sandy Yudha, visited me. They asked me to meet with a foreign journalist, who they
said would interview me and give me Rp100,000 prize money. I was very happy to get
the offer, because my previous conversation with a journalist had also earned me
Rp100,000. I thought I'd receive another sum.
I was taken to a house in the area of Kuda Mati. I knew the house belonged to a close
friend of Berty Loupatty (Berty, a gangster and field commander of the Christian
group, denied all charges against him in his talk with TEMPO). More then 10 youths
of my age were already there. No reporters were around, nor was there any dialog. I
was even taught how to use firearms, grenades, and infiltrate the zone of adversaries.
In brief, they prepared me for war. The training lasted for four days from April 20
through 23, 2002.
Every day after the drill I got an allowance in varying amounts. On the first day they
gave me Rp200,000, on the second Rp150,000, on the third Rp100,000 and the last
day Rp200,000.
At the end of the last day of training, they supplied me with three grenades and asked
me to blast the cars of Pemmy Souisa (license number DE 192 AA) and Emang
Nikijuluw (both supporters of the Malino peace declaration of the Christian camp). But
at that time I firmly refused to obey because I was very close to the two figures. I've
even asked Bapak Emang Nikijuluw for money many times.
Beruri
(17, high school student in Ambon, pseudonym)
By the end of April, a man calling himself Edwin approached me at school. He
claimed to be a soldier from Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara. He said he knew about
me and praised me for being a courageous boy ready to do anything. Therefore, he
would give me Rp500,000 if I agreed to blow up a private bank in Ambon. I turned
down the offer because I could be arrested if found out by the police.
But Edwin was persistent. A few days later, he came to my school. He invited me to
have lunch in a food stall nearby. During the meal he put his pistol on the table, which
obviously scared me. Later, he gave me Rp50,000 for my transport. When handing
over the money, Edwin asked me to meet him again at a bus stop in the city three
days later.
Another man introducing himself ass 2nd Sergeant Rudi came to me before I met
Edwin. Rudi wanted me to see him at Citra Supermarket the next day. As we met
there, I was taught how to pull a grenade pin and hurl it at a target with precision.
After the brief course, I got a hand grenade from him, and was told to target the
Pertiwi Ambon High School, around 20 meters from the official residence of the
Pattimura regional military commander. As I agreed, I received Rp100,000 for
transport.
I failed to carry out the attack because some of my friends prevented me from doing
so. Ever since then, I've been afraid of being chased by Rudi.
Yunus Tanalepy
(23, jobless, now in Maluku police custody)
Early in August 2001, I met with Hendrik, Sutorno and Ridwan. I knew they were
soldiers very close to Berty Loupatty. Along with some other youths, I was trained to
use firearms, grenades, and in war maneuvers. After the drill, we were assigned to
blow up several places that the soldiers had indicated. Hendrik took us everywhere in
his black Toyota-Hardtop, license number 1377 A.
My first action was to blow up a food stall on Jalan Latuharhari, Ambon, on Monday,
August 27, 2001. This stall was only 10 meters away from the official residence of the
Pattimura regional military commander's intelligence assistant. Together with four
other trainees, I put a bomb in the food stand. The incident killed two people and
seriously wounded 14 others.
In November, we were ordered to blow up Sinar Elektrik shop on Jalan Said Perintah,
Ambon. After some preparations, we did it on November 12, 2001. I and Denny (not
his real name) placed a bomb there. Two people died and 19 more were severely
injured.
Still in November, we were instructed to wreak havoc on a number of city transport
cars operating from the Ambon terminal to Kampung Salobar. We wrapped bombs in
plastic sacks and left them in Air Salobar-bound cabs. One housewife died and
several other passengers were badly injured.
I was also actively involved in the conflict between Porto and Haria village
communities in Haruku. We went to Haruku by car, which was prepared by Hendrik
from another soldier, and Ridwan's speedboat. We were not directly engaged in the
conflict, though. We just triggered the clash. If the fighting got intense, we were told to
leave the location.
The last one was the order to attack Soya Village on April 28. With around 13 people,
I joined in the invasion on Soya. Twelve people were killed and a number of houses
gutted by fire. The Soya incident revealed our identities, leading to our capture some
time later.
According to plans, in May we would have bombed the residence of Alex Manuputty,
chairman of the Maluku Sovereignty Front. But the police arrested me before this
could take place.
Kotan
(student of a university, Ambon, nickname)
A man named Ridwan came to me at the campus early in May. Ridwan said mutual
suspicion prevailed between Christian and Muslim students at my campus. Therefore,
Ridwan lent me his pistol as a precaution. When I told him I was afraid of the police,
Ridwan convinced me that his military unit would protect me. He also finally led me to
believe that danger could emerge at any time, making me accept the offer.
After receiving the gun, I met Ridwan frequently. We discussed various issues around
radical movements in Ambon, such as the Christian group under Alex Manuputty and
Laskar Jihad led by Ja'far Umar Thalib. Every time we talked, he gave me some
money, totaling Rp15,000 or Rp20,000.
In mid-May, Ridwan ordered me to blow up some shops near my campus. I should
have carried out the instruction on May 19, but I cancelled it because several friends
of mine heard the news that the police were seizing Ridwan's men. I was scared.
Wens Manggut and Tomi Lebang, Fritz Kerlely (Ambon)
