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Indonesian
military chief says weapons proliferation sparks violence
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Agence
France-Presse
Monday
April 29, 2002, 3:46 PM |
Monday April 29, 3:46 PM
Indonesia's military chief blamed
the proliferation of weapons in strife-torn Maluku province for
renewed violence that has shattered a fragile two-month old peace.
"This is one of the causes of
the high potential for conflict," armed forces (TNI)
commander Widodo Adisucipto told reporters, a day after masked
attackers dressed in army fatigues slaughtered at least 13
Christians, including a baby.
The attackers wore uniforms and
carried military standard M-16 rifles when they raided two
villages near the provincial capital Ambon at around 4:00 am,
witnesses said.
Church leader Pastor Bohm said
survivors told of attackers shouting 'Allah Akbar' (God is Great)
as they rampaged through Soiya and Ahuru villages, brandishing
swords and firing guns, mortar and home-made bombs.
National police chief General Da'i
Bachtiar said police were monitoring developments to assess
whether military law needed to be imposed, but said such a move
was premature.
"Not so far," Police
General Da'i Bachtiar told journalists at the presidential palace
here when asked whether the current civilian emergency status
would be upgraded to a military one.
Ambon was tense but quiet on Monday
and shops and businesses had reopened, residents said.
Bachtiar said police would question
the militant Laskar Jihad (Jihad Force) about Sunday's massacre.
"We will continue to
investigate which groups were behind the attack," the police
chief said.
The Islamic militia group has been
blamed for attacks on Christians in Maluku since thousands of its
fighters were sent to the region in May 2000, more than a year
after deadly fighting broke out between Christians and Muslims.
The weekend massacre is the worst
in Maluku since a shaky peace had begun to settle over the island
chain following the signing of a government-brokered peace accord
in February to end the three year old conflict which has already
claimed over 5,000 lives and left over half a million people
homeless.
Tensions were re-ignited after a
bomb blast in Ambon killed at least four people earlier this
month. The blast triggered the torching of the governor's office.
Republic of South Maluku (RMS)
separatists defied government bans and set RMS flags aloft to mark
the group's 52nd anniversary Thursday, prompting angry street
rallies by Muslims who accuse the small Christian-dominated group
of fanning sectarian tensions.
More than half a dozen people have
been injured in violence on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
str-bc-bs/nj
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