Kurniawan Hari and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta
Analysts doubt the arrest of the commander of the militant
Islamic group Laskar Jihad, Ja'far Umar Thalib, will end the
bloody violence in Maluku because those directly responsible for
the latest massacre remain at large.
Sociologist Thamrin Amal Tomagola and rights activist Asmara
Nababan urged authorities to disclose all details surrounding the
violence and bring the perpetrators to court.
"The authorities have to enforce the law
consistently," said Thamrin, a lecturer at the University of
Indonesia (UI) here on Sunday.
He was referring to one of the points agreed upon during peace
talks signed in February by the rival Muslim and Christian groups
in Malino, South Sulawesi.
Among the points recommended to restore peace were law
enforcement and the improvement of people's welfare.
In the Maluku capital city of Ambon, police arrested three
people on Sunday on charges of torching the governor's office on
April 3. The city was quiet but tense as heavy rains fell.
Ja'far was arrested at the Police headquarters here Saturday in
connection with the carnage in the village of Soya on April 28
that claimed at least 12 lives.
Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina has said Ja'far allegedly
incited Laskar Jihad militiamen to take action during a mass
prayer two days before the incident.
Witnesses said perpetrators of the mass killing wore masks and
military uniforms. They appeared to have military training and
were equipped with military-standard M-16 rifles, bayonets and
homemade bombs. The alleged attackers had to pass Christian
neighborhoods to reach Soya.
Thamrin said the authorities must not stop with the arrest of
Ja'far. Others too should be investigated, he said.
"They include Laskar Jihad, the incidents before and after
the Malino II agreement, and the separatist movement,"
Thamrin told The Jakarta Post.
Ja'far was also arrested on May 4, 2001 on charges of inciting
hatred on a religion and imposing Islamic law on one of his
supporters who was stoned to death. He was released on May 22
after a court decided his detention was unlawful.
There has been speculation that police and military officers
deployed in Maluku were taking sides.
Asmara, executive of the International NGO Forum on Indonesian
Development (INFID), questioned whether or not the arrest of
Ja'far was enough to show the neutrality and professionalism of
the security forces.
If only the police could maintain its consistency in dealing
with Ja'far and his followers, any rumors about the involvement of
the security forces could be discounted, he said.
"Many people blame the security apparatus as part of the
conflict in Ambon due to their lack of neutrality and
professionalism. The security apparatus is also being condemned
for their in decisiveness in taking stern action against other
groups there.
"The police currently detaining Ja'far, as well as Alex
Manuputty of the pro-independence Maluku Sovereignty Forum (FKM),
doesn't mean that problems in Maluku will end ... That will depend
on the police's consistency," Asmara said.
Thamrin said that the recent bloody incidents were not purely
conducted by the local people.
Asmara, who visited the Maluku capital of Ambon two weeks after
the signing of the Malino II peace accord, praised the Christians
for not taking revenge for the recent Soya massacre.
Thamrin said this had shown that the incidents in Ambon were
not internal problems, but the problems brought by outsiders
including the Laskar Jihad, the separatist group, and the
"unidentified troops" who often joined in mass rallies.
