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Lawamena
Victoria
Reports
by
CRISIS
CENTRE DIOCESE OF AMBOINA
Jalan Pattimura 32 - Ambon 97124 ( Indonesia
Tel 0062 (0)911 342195 Fax 0062 (0)911 355337
e-mail [email protected]
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THE
SITUATION IN AMBON / MOLUCCAS - Report No. 331
2002-11-24
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Ambon, November 24, 2002
GENERAL SITUATION – Not seldom we
are asked about the real actual situation in Ambon and the
Moluccas: do people still live in fear? Have normal living
conditions more or less been restored? Etc. We may briefly answer
as follows:
1. Since the Moluccas Agreement of Malino on February 12, 2002
(see Report 235) both conflicting parties started to realize that
in fact they share the same enemy, namely the terrorists, whoever
they are and on whose orders they carry out their nefarious
activities.
2. Most of Seram and Buru are ready now to restore normal
relations. IDP-s are urged and facilitated by the government to
return to their original homesteads there. Local TV shows places
(such as Kairatu on the south coast of Seram) where Christians and
Muslims intermingle without restraint. Nevertheless, many IDP-s
living in Ambon are still wary and afraid to return to Seram and
Buru, as in the past, time and again the security forces have
proved not to be able to anticipate riots: they often only enter
the place after the damage and the killings have been done.
3. Most precarious is the situation in the city of Ambon itself.
Apart from some intermingling of both communities at governmental
level, via NGO activities, meeting at several shared market places
or following college together, each community keeps to its own
town areas.
Potential sources of conflict may be:
- The succession of the Governor
and Vice-Governor. M.S.Latuconsina’s and both of his
vice-governors’ term ended last November 11th. The Minister
of Interior Affairs extended their term for another month. On
December 12 a caretaking Governor is to be appointed. Any
election of a new Governor with its fierce competition might
jeopardize the actual relative calm situation.
- Many people, especially among
the about 145.000 IDP-s that still are in Ambon, have no job.
This situation may breed unrest, especially under idling
youngsters.
- A lot of weapons and explosives
are supposed to be still hidden by both parties: just in case
they might be needed for defense.
- People feel discontented that
hardly any justice has been done yet and many criminals are
being left alone.
- The planned returning of all
refugees to their original homesteads by August 2003, may
trigger renewed violence, especially in sensitive places like
Poka-Rumahtiga (on the opposite side of the bay of Ambon),
Kebun Cengkeh / Ahuru (at the outskirts of the town, a former
Laskar Jihad stronghold) and the large Christian totally
destroyed village of Waai on the island of Ambon (earlier
claimed by Muslims as an originally Muslim place and renamed
Waai-Salam (see Report 63 no.4 – Sept.25, 2000).
4. The military has five battalions in the Moluccas and four
in the North Moluccas. But especially members of the Kopassus
(Special TNI Army Forces) are mistrusted as involving
themselves (or having involved themselves) in acts of
terrorism (landmines, bombs, snipers), allegedly cooperating
with the “Coker Gang” of Berty Loupatty.
C.J.Böhm msc,
Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina
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