|
|
|
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. 292
2002-05-31
|
Ambon,
May 31, 2002
1.
HANDOVER CEREMONY – Yesterday morning the handover
ceremony of the Military Chief Commander took place in Ambon. The
outgoing chief is Brigader-General Mustopo. He is being replaced
by Major General Djoko Santoso, who simultaneously will be the
PANGKOOPSLIHKAM (Panglima Komando Operasi Pemulihan Keamanan =
Chief Commander of the Operation for Restoring Security). KASAD (Kepala
Staf Angkatan Darat = Army Chief of Staff) General Endriartono
Sutarto presided over the ceremony, which took place in the front
yard of Kodam XVI Pattimura HQ in Batugajah, Ambon. In
his function as the Chief Commander of the Operation for Restoring
Security, Djoko Santoso will be seconded by the Police Chief
Commander in order to ensure proper coordination between the two
forces. A new Police Chief Commander for the Moluccas will be
appointed within short.
2.
NO MILITARY EMERGENCY STATE – Not a few Moluccans fear
that the OPSLIHKAM (Operation for Restoring Security) will turn
out to be or evolve into martial law for the Moluccas. Countering
this anxiety, several high authorities have assured the people of
the Moluccas that this certainly is not going to happen. According
to The Jakarta Post (May 29, 2002) Minister of Home Affairs Hari
Sabarno asserted that the Chief of the OPSLIHKAM and his aides in
the Moluccas had to abide by the rules and commands issued by the
Civil Emergency Administration, led by the Governor of the
Moluccas. Army Chief of Staff General Endriartono Sutarto told
likewise during the handover ceremony this morning.
3.
TWENTY ADDITIONAL PROSECUTORS TO BE SENT TO THE MOLUCCAS
– The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) will assign 20
prosecutors from various parts of the country to handle cases in
the Moluccas. There are only 15 prosecutors in the Moluccas now.
The lack of prosecutors was one of the reasons – apart from
security risks – to move the trials of FKM leaders Alex
Manuputty and Semmy Waeleruny to Jakarta. On local TV, the head of
the provincial Counsel for
the Prosecution, I Made Sunetja SH, affirmed that he had asked for
an additional 43 prosecutors for both the Moluccas and the North
Moluccas. These 20 are meant specifically for Ambon.
4.
FKM ACCUSES THE GOVERNMENT – The FKM (Front Kedaulatan
Maluku = Moluccas Sovereignty Front) intends to file a suit
against the government for branding the Front as a separatist
movement and associating it with RMS (Republik Maluku Selatan =
South Moluccas Republic), thus is reported in The Jakarta Post
from May 29, 2002. It is further said that the FKM also objects to
the government labeling its members as troublemakers in the
Moluccas and its efforts to outlaw the movement. According to the
head of FKM’s team of lawyers, Christian Rahayaan, the
organization is suing President Megawati, Coordinating Minister
for Politcal and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, as
well as the head of the Moluccas Civil Emergency, Governor Saleh
Latuconsina.
“FKM
cannot be associated with RMS, as FKM is an organization that only
conveys the aspirations of the Moluccas People and their
dissatisfaction over the government’s incapability in solving
the conflict in the area,” Christian told reporters after
visiting his clients, FKM leaders Alexander Manuputty and Semmy
Waeleruny, who are under detention at the National Police HQ.
“Unlike RMS, FKM has never declared itself an independent
sovereign country”, he added. However, he did not say when
exactly the organization is going to file the lawsuit.
(We
can’t help that, learning this piece of information, the reader
probably is left with some questions…).
C.J.Böhm msc,
Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina
|
