CRISIS CENTRE DIOCESE OF AMBOINA

THE SITUATION IN AMBON / MOLUCCAS – Report No. 325

1. FURTHER NEWS ON THE CAPSIZED MOTOR VESSEL – At 8.00 p.m. on November 3, the motorboat “Masohi Star”left from Ambon on its routine voyage to Masohi. However, after twenty minutes it capsized and sunk. Five people were found drowned: two women (30 and 40 years old) and three children (2 and 3 years old). Of the initially 140 persons that were taken to several hospitals, most have returned home meanwhile, leaving 37 for further treatment in the Military Hospital and the Al-Fatah Hospital. The harbour authorities acknowledged that besides the 104 passengers in possession of a ticket, another 50 passengers had forcibly boarded the ship. They further said that fifteen people are still missing. However, it is said that the total number of passengers exceeded 300, and today’s Muslim “Ambon Expres” newspaper says that 63 are still trapped inside the vessel on the bottom of the sea. For two hours the captain had in vain tried to get the illegal passengers off his ship, but had at last decided to take the risk and set sail.

2. VISIT BY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS – The Minister of Home Affairs, Hari Sabarno, came to Ambon yesterday for a “routine” visit, as he declared to the local mass media. All Provinces are being visited now by Cabinet Ministers, he said, in a Government Consolidation endeavour. As the Minister of Home Affairs, he happens to be the one that will appoint the person that will be the caretaking governor, starting on November 12, when Latuconsina’s term will have ended. He admonished the Provincial House of Representatives quickly to compose their list of conditions that will apply to any candidate for this temporary office. But in this Civil Emergency situation he himself is the only one to choose and appoint the caretaker, even for indefinite time, until the situation is safe enough for a free election of a new governor. The Minister returned to Jakarta today.

3. SPMM RADIO SILENT – The local illegal and provocative Radio Station SPMM (Suara Perjuangan Muslim Maluku = Voice of the Moluccas Muslim Struggle) has been silent since the Laskar Jihad left Ambon some weeks ago.

4. INFORMATION FOR DUTCH MOLUCCANS – We advise Dutch Moluccans that want to come to the Moluccas for family visits, to get in contact with Mrs. Paulien Joel-Pareira in Ambon: Tel 0062-911-314285 or to be informed on the conditions that have to be fulfilled to obtain an entry permit from the Civil Emergency Administrator at Ambon.

C.J.B ¶hm msc, Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina

CRISIS CENTRE DIOCESE OF AMBOINA

Jalan Pattimura 32 – Ambon 97124 – Indonesia

Tel 0062 (0)911 342195 Fax 0062 (0)911 355337 E-mail

Ambon, November 8, 2002

THE SITUATION IN AMBON / MOLUCCAS – Report No. 326

1. INVOLVEMENT ARMED FORCES IN MOLUCCAS CONFLICT – We read on “infomaluku” that reports of possible involvement of Indonesian Military Forces (TNI) keep appearing in the media. There seem to be ties between on the one hand two hard-line muslim organizations, namely the Jamaah Islamiyah and the Laskar Jihad, and on the other hand some TNI generals. Recently arrested members of the (supposedly) terrorist Coker gang in Ambon already confessed that they received training and funds from the Kopassus (TNI elite force). CNN mentioned the statement of an Ambonese Muslim warrior, who had joined the Laskar Jihad, that the Laskar Jihad was disbanded by TNI generals in order to hide their individual ties with the organization. The TNI, however, denies any ties between the military and the Laskar Jihad.

2. BERTY AND MEMBERS COKER GANG POSSIBLY IN PAPUA – The police is still searching for the whereabouts of Berty Loupatty, leader of the Christian Coker gang, who is suspected to be an instigator of violence in Ambon. The police in Jayapura (Irian / Papua) began to suspect that Berty and seven Coker thugs are in Papua after the arrest of two men, Daniel Sangor and Ronald Fautngilyanan, connected with an incident at the Cendrawasih University’s campus, where Daniel possibly wanted to start a conflict. Both have been detained by the Jayapura police for further investigation, because they are suspected to be members of the Coker gang (Coker is short for Cowo-Cowo Keren – Ambonese, meaning “Bold Youngsters”, see Report 89 no.4).

3. NEED FOR EQUIPMENT TO RAISE THE WRECKAGE OF THE SUNK VESSEL – The “Masohi Star” motorboat that sank in the bay of Ambon on November 3, is believed to contain the bodies of more than sixty drowned passengers. However, in Ambon there is no equipment available to raise the vessel from its estimated 100 meters / 110 yards depth. So the governor has submitted a request for the appropriate equipment.

C.J.B ¶hm msc, Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina