---------------------------------------------------------- FREE Subscribe/UNsubscribe Indonesia Daily News Online go to: http://www.indo-news.com/subscribe.html - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 Free Email @KotakPos.com visit: http://my.kotakpos.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------- Antara, 26 Juni 2000 30 CHRISTIAN LEADERS PROTECTED, NOT KIDNAPPED, BY LOCAL PEOPLE Ternate, Jun 26 (ANTARA) - Chairman of the North Maluku chapter of the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) Syarif Syahfin confirmed that at least 30 Christian leaders, 80 women and children have been protected by local moslems and the Military (TNI). "It is not true that Christians in Galela have been kidnapped as reported by some local and foreign mass media," he told ANTARA during a coordination meeting between North Maluku Regent Gahral Syah and local religious leaders here on Sunday. The meeting also discussed the handling the sectarian conflicts among groups in Halmahera and its surroundings. Syahfin denied reports that unidentified men from Tobelo have kidnapped some people in Duma village and said that such reports have damaged the moslems` image, particularly of those in North Maluku. The people in Tobelo also said they had been cheated by certain persons who have provoked them, prompting the police to ask them to seek safer places, but they remained in their village. Head of the Security Recovery Task Force in North Maluku Col Sutrisno, meanwhile, also said that there had been no kidnappings or torching of Christians here. "Those who had been evacuated to Tobelo were only the victims of recent unrests," Sutrisno said. On criticism of TNI`s performance, he said the military had worked as hard as they could, but the geographical condition of North Maluku was not conducive to smooth operations, and the limited military and police personnel, facilities, infrastructure, and transportation. He added that the villages that had been attacked in the past few weeks, including Duma in Galela, were those which had rejected military deployment. "And each time they were attacked they blamed the security personnel and retaliated by attacking security posts," he said. Meanwhile, the situation in North Maluku is generally conducive, but some parts of North Halmahera, particularly Kao, Tobelo and Galela, are still tense. A battalion from the Malang-based Brawijaya Military District Command, and two platoons deployed there have been guarding unrest-prone areas. On President Abdurrahman Wahid`s statement on the possibility of outsiders coming to Maluku and North Maluku, Syahfin said there has been no report. He also fully supported the presidential ban on outsiders from the region following the outbreak of the sectarian conflicts in the island. Previously on Friday (23/6), the government decided to close Maluku to outsiders since newcomers have reportedly been provoking fresh clashes in the province. "We have to ban outsiders from Maluku because they have provoked fresh clashes there," the head of state said after addressing a Friday prayer at the Al-Munawaroh Mosque near his unofficial residence in South Jakarta. On the occasion, President Wahid warned "status quo figures" to stop their provocations, because the patience of the government and people also has a limit. "If we have lost our patience, high-ranking and rich people who have been financing the provocateurs will be crushed by the people," the President pointed out. Meanwhile, the sultanate of Tidore in Central Halmahera and the riot victims in North Maluku, have urged the Police Chief and Attorney General to immediately arrest the Sultan of Ternate, Drs Mudaffar Syah, for allegedly masterminding the December 28, 1999 sectarian clashes in Ternate. Speaking to the press here on Saturday (24/6), the Sultan of Tidore, H Djafar Syah, said he would resort to all available forces within his realm and cooperate with the riot victims to take the necessary measures if the police was still reluctant to investigate Mudaffar Syah. Thousands of people have died and many others injured in the sectarian conflicts in the province since January 1998. (F.ABN-PK03/NN04/ING/00:12/RSI-03) 2606000028 NNNN ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 27 Jun 2000 jam 10:06:00 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
