The Jakarta
Post, Jakarta
National News - April
24, 2002
One person was killed in a brawl in Central Maluku, prompting
authorities in the province to step up security two days before
the South Maluku Republic (RMS) secessionist movement's
anniversary on April 25.
The local military declined to elaborate on the incident and
whether it was related to the prolonged sectarian conflict in
Maluku or the secessionist movement's anniversary, citing the news
blackout and curfew imposed by the provincial authorities under
the state of civil emergency.
Antara news agency reported from the provincial capital
of Ambon that besides the one fatality, who was not identified,
three security personnel suffered minor injuries during the brawl,
which began at 2 p.m. local time involving residents of the
villages of Yaputi and Tehoru in Masohi regency.
"The situation in the villages is under control,"
Antara
quoted Maj. CAJ Heri Suhardi, the spokesman for the Pattimura
Military Command overseeing Maluku and North Maluku, as saying in
Ambon on Tuesday.
He said local police and military had stepped up security in
the two villages to prevent the violence from spreading to other
villages in the regency.
The chief of the military command has ordered troops to take
all necessary steps to handle the incident and to increase
security in the regency to avoid the situation from deteriorating
in the coming days, he said.
Besides imposing a news blackout, the governor of Maluku, in
his capacity as the administrator of the civil emergency, has
barred foreigners and non-governmental organization activists from
the province, and has imposed a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in
anticipation of disturbances during the RMS anniversary.
RMS supporters have said they will raise the RMS' flag to mark
the secessionist movement's 52nd anniversary.
Besides increasing security at strategic locations in Ambon,
the local police have launched an operation to confiscate weapons
and are also closely monitoring the activities of foreigners and
activists in the city.
In line with the stepped up security measures, the authorities
have detained RMS executive Alex Manuputty, who will be charged
with treason for having urged resistance to local authorities.
The Malino peace agreement, which was signed by warring
Christian and Muslim groups, is proving to be less than effective
in ending the conflict in Maluku. This is partly because local
authorities appear to be indecisive in enforcing the state of
civil emergency, while some groups in the province have rejected
the agreement.
Meanwhile, the secretary to the coordinating minister for
political and security affairs, Maj. Gen. Sudi Silalahi, said
during a visit to Maluku that security authorities would take
harsh action against any RMS supporters who raised the
secessionist movement's flag on April 25.
"The people who do not support RMS have no reason to
worry," he said during a press briefing with the local media.
Silalahi, who was accompanied by Maluku Deputy Governor Paula
Renyaan, said an adequate number of security personnel had been
deployed to deal with any situation that occurred during the RMS
anniversary.
|