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| Southeast Asia |
| Inaction on Maluku violence 'reigniting separatist cause' |
| 2002-06-26 |
| Unlike its aggressive attempts to crush rebels in Aceh, the Indonesian government has been half-hearted in ending sectarian conflict in Maluku. The government's differing stance is explained by the fact that Aceh militants demanding independence are perceived as far more threatening than the religious militants who merely threaten civilian lives, according to observers. The Aceh movement doesn't want to take over the country. They just want Aceh — and Sumatra — out of Indonesia... Police in the Malukus have been reluctant to heed calls from both the central government and the Malukus' governor to arrest the leaders of militant groups, such as the Laskar Jihad. Jakarta was ignoring the Malukus at its own peril, said the Western diplomat. 'The joke is that now the government's lack of action over the violence in Maluku has re-created the separatist movement. RMS was refounded in November 2000 after the arrival of Laskar Jihad,' he said, referring to the Republic of South Maluku Movement (RMS). RMS was an independence movement formed in the 1950s, but most of its members fled to the Netherlands when it failed. It had not been heard from again until 2000. Another independence movement, the Maluku Sovereignty Front (FKM), has also sprung up. If they did a bit of searching, which I'm sure they won't, they'd find Saudi money driving Lashkar Jihad. The Aceh movement appears to be indigenous... The military had shown little urgency in solving the conflict because it was not their responsibility, said Moluccan sociologist Tamrin Tomagola. "Is not my job, mon!" Curiously, the presence of the Laskar Jihad is now an impetus for a crackdown on the RMS after Vice-President Hamzah Haz suggested that the religious fundamentalists could not be expelled from the province until the separatists had been thrown out as well. That's because the fix is in... 'The separatist element has given the security forces a good excuse to crack down on Laskar Jihad,' said the diplomat. Also, RMS has minimal local support, which makes it an easier target. Other observers noted that top Security Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had begun to take action to end the three-year-old conflict in the Malukus. What'd he do? Form a committee? |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |