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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. 364
2003-25-04
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Ambon, April 25, 2003
1.
THE KASUI CASE – One may remember the islamisation that –
starting towards the end of November 2000 (Report 96 sqq., 132)
– took place on Kasui, a small island South-East of Seram
island, involving some 800 Christians. Their forced islamisation
became world news then. Last February, a JRS team (JRS = Jesuit
Refugee Service), stationed in Ambon, went there to see whether
the situation could be considered safe enough for the Christians
– most of whom now live as refugees spread over a number of
villages on the island of Kei Kecil – to return to their
homesteads at Kasui (Report 354).
The responsible parish priest, Fr. Joseph Kuda Makin SVD, now
reports from Masohi, that several meetings between local Muslim
Raja-s (”Kings”) and a delegation of Christian Kasui refugees
from Kei Kecil were held under supervision of the Bupati (precinct
chief) of the Central Moluccas, Ir. Abdullah Tuasikal, in Masohi,
capital of the Central Moluccas. One of the discussed topics was
the demand by the Muslims that the Christians should apologize for
their making it worldwide known that they had been islamized. The
Christians were reluctant to make such a bold apology, but they
agreed to a general admission of guilt, especially that they had
returned to the Christian faith. After much discussion all of
those present agreed on a ten-point statement, in which among
other things was asserted that both parties (Muslims and
Christians) agreed to forgive each! other and to return to living
together in peace. The Bupati then was requested to go and visit
Kasui island first, in order to ascertain that indeed nobody there
objected to this agreement. Now the only obstacle to restoring
normal relations between the two parties may be the stance of the
only Muslim chief that was not pesent at the meeting, i.e. the
village head of Tamher Warat, who is notoriously anti-Christian.
2. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MOLUCCAS AGREEMENT PUT IN DISCUSSION
– The momentous Moluccas Agreement as a result of the meeting of
35 Muslim and 35 Christian representatives in Malino (South
Celebes) on February 12, 2002 – commonly called “The Malino-II
Agreement” – should end the conflict and restore normal
relations in the Moluccas by the implemetation of eleven items of
mutual agreement (see Report 235). However, up to now a number of
these items still wait to be implemented. So on April 24 an
informal meeting was held by a number of these delegates together
with acting Governor Sarundayang and the Chiefs of the Police, the
Military a! nd the Juridical department. One of the points of
discussion was the lack of any report on the investigation that
was carried out by the Independent Inquiry Team, starting on July
10, 2002 (Report 299). On his occasion Sarundayang also suggested
to drop the expression “Moluccas Delegation of Malino”,
replacing it by “Dialogue Forum” (Forum dialogis), thus
reminding the 70 delegates’ ongoing task of further
comprehensive dealing with the aftermath of the conflict.
3. VARIOUS HAPPENINGS IN CONNECTION WITH THE 25 APRIL RMS
SEPARATIST MOVEMENT COMMEMORATION – Though military and
police forces and also many civilians were in full alert, they
apparently could not prevent the hoisting of some twenty flags of
the RMS separatist movement on the eve of the 53rd anniversary of
the RMS. Most of these flags were raised in the village of Passo
and in the Ambon neighbourhood of Kudamati. No persons behind
these recent actions have been arrested up to now. In Passo some
dozen of local residents were taken to the police office for
interrogation.
Paulien Joel-Parera reports that on April 23 seven RMS activists
were arrested in the Ambon neighbourhood of Karang Panjang while
distributing RMS-stickers. The police also discovered 13 RMS
uniforms at a tailor’s workshop in Ambon. Apparently the
uniforms had been ordered by a member of the police forces. This
person admitted that he had received his orders from FKM leader
Alex Manuputty, who is in custody in Jakarta.
C.J.Böhm msc,
Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina
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