|
|
|
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]
|
THE
SITUATION IN AMBON / MOLUCCAS - Report No. 332
2002-11-26
|
Ambon, November 26, 2002
1.
MILITARY EXERCISES – Towards the end of May, 2002, two
battalions (3000 men) of PPRC KOSTRAD-forces were sent to Ambon
(see Report 290). KOSTRAD stands for Komando Strategis Angkatan
Darat = “Strategic Army Command”. PPRC
stands for Pasukan Pemukul Reaksi Cepat = “Quick Response
Forces”. The PPRC would mainly occupy themselves with training
activities. Personally witnessed by Jakarta based Army Commander
General Endriartono Sutarto, a large scale exercise of the PPRC
started last November 23 with a landing of troops at Pattimura
Airport and a landing of marines at Natsepa beach. Ambon had been
chosen for their exercises in order to make them familiar with the
local geographic situation, so that in any future case of
emergency they will be able to “respond quickly” as a striking
force.
2. A BALI – AMBON CONNECTION? – Several Java based
newspapers report that the police in the Moluccas is tracing the
chemical substances which Bali bombing suspect Amrozi said had
been sent to Ambon. It is also suspected that weapons found nearby
Amrozi’s house in Lamongan, East Java, were stolen from the
police Mobile Brigade’s headquarters in Tantui (adjacent to
Ambon town). This happened on June 21-22, 2000, when this Brimob
Police HQ was assailed and set ablaze by Muslim/Jihad forces.
Officers’ houses and the police hospital, too, became prey to
the flames. The weapons storage – which is thought to have
contained some 800 weapons and other lethal devices then – was
looted before being burned down. Only part of these weapons were
recovered afterwards.
3. DOES AMBON WANT TO GET RID OF ITS IDP-S? – These days
numerous meetings are held by the governor and other authorities
with masses of refugees in the various neighbourhoods in Ambon,
trying to convince the refugees, especially those from the islands
of Buru and Seram, to return to their original homesteads.
However, according to trustworthy persons (like some parish
priests that recently returned from a survey to their erstwhile
parishes) some of the Muslim-held places cannot yet be considered
as completely safe for Christians. But the authorities seemingly
do not care. Refugees are offered houses of 4x5 meters, without
kitchen and without toilet/bathroom. The refugees insist that they
should rather be given cash (between 5 and 15 million rupiahs =
US$ 525.- – US$ 1,575.-) than “complete” houses or building
materials, in order to be able to build their future homes
according to own insight and more effectively.
C.J.Böhm msc,
Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina
|
