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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. 351
2003-30-01
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Ambon, January 30, 2003
1.
EIGHT KILLED BY ACCIDENTAL BOMB EXPLOSION – A bomb,
left-over from the Second World War, was dug up yesterday evening
in the hamlet of Mamua, near the village of Hila on the North
coast of the island of Ambon. The bomb that measured about 100 x
30 cm, exploded when being dismounted, killing eight men. They
seemingly had in mind to use its contents to catch fish by using
explosives.
2. YAFAR UMAR THALIB ACQUITTED – On April 26, 2002, Jafar
Umar Thalib, leader of the meanwhile disbanded Laskar Jihad, gave
a tabliq akbar (official speech) in the large front yard of the
Al-Fatah Mosque of Ambon. He did not spare anybody, defiling
everybody from the President down to the military. The Moluccas
Agreement of Malino was treason, the Governor a traitor etc. He
urged a no-reconciliation program and to wage war on the RMS
Christians, to zealously fabricate bombs etc. (see Reports 269 and
276). He was arrested at Juanda Airport, Surabaya on May 2002 and
sent to Jakarta, where he subsequently was detained at Police HQ.
At his trial, one year inprisonment was demanded by the public
prosecutor during the session of the district court of East
Jakarta on December 19, 2002. He was accused of insulting the
President of Indonesia and agitate the people during that tablig
akbar.
Now here is the decision of the court, read today by presiding
judge Mansyur Nasution: Yafar Umar Thalib is acquitted of all
accusations, because it can not be proved that he has insulted
President Megawati Soekarnoputri, that he instigated masses to
acts of violence and tried to arouse feelings of hostility during
his speech at the Al-Fatah Mosque of Ambon on April 26, 2002. The
prosecution (Slamet Rijanto) has not (yet) appealed against this
decision.
Local news broadcasts on radio and TV did not mention the
acquittal of Jafar today. However, considering the favorable
situation in Ambon, we do not expect any fierce reaction by local
Christians, everybody being fed-up with all that violence.
C.J.Böhm msc,
Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina
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