STATEMENT OF EXECUTIVE BOARD OF THE COMMUNION OF CHURCHES IN INDONESIA ON
THE ATTACKS AND CONFLICTS WHICH BROKE OUT
AGAIN IN THE MOLLUCAS/NORTH MOLUCCAS IN
DECEMBER 1999
The Executive Board of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia with
deeply-felt concern noted that:
After the visit of the President and Vice President, to this region
conflicts struck again in the past three weeks. We noted, since the second to
the third week
of December 1999 there had been large scale attacks to Christian
villages/congregations and destroying/burning of churches in Namlea, the
capital of the
North Buru subdistrict and the surrounding area which resulted in a
wave of evacuation of Christians out of the subdistrict. Apart from that in
waters
between the island of Ambon and the islands of Lease motor boats from
the village of Kamarian, the island of Seram have been attacked with gun fires
and conflicts around the village of Rumahtiga, Ambon. Since 26
December 1999 until today, conflicts struck out in the city of Ambon,
followed with the
burning down of the Silo Church in the center of the city. While in
Tobelo, the capital of the subdistrict of Tobelo, the conflicts have resulted
in the fall of
unnecessary victims. Based on these facts, the CCI Executive Aboard
states that:
1.The Indonesian Military (TNI) and Police who are accountable for
the security together with the Central Government and the Local Government
should explain what really are behind the bloody incidents since
the second week of December until today.
2.Essentially the statement of President Gus Dur on his visit to
Ambon that the people themselves should solve their own problems have given a
number of broad implications. Firstly, the statement on the one
hand expresses the President's acknowledgement of the authority of the people
in solving emerging problems, but on the other hand burdening
the people with matters which are beyond their responsibilities. We all know
that
all efforts to stop individual and collective violence should
first come from the Indonesian Military/Police which they already did in
welcoming the
President and Vice President visit to the Moluccas. Secondly,
the statement could be used by the Military/Policy persons or elements to
protect
themselves from accountabilities for their bad handling of
security and which resulted in the killing and injuring thousands of victims
during the
riots and tens of thousands of families have left their homes to
get security protection. Thirdly, large-scale attacks on the subdistrict of
North Buru
and the city of Ambon during the time after the visit of the
President/Vice President have caused deep frustration and recurrence of
degradation
in the trust of the people to the Government and especially to
the Military/Police. Therefore all parties are called out not to misuse the
President's expression for self-interest concerns but to place
it in the context of the cessation of violent actions which is very urgent at
this time.
3.The occurrence of large-scale attacks where the targets are
Christian congregations are direct consequences of the fact that the handling
over the
whole incidents of riots in several places in the Moluccas by
the Military/Police are not transparent, and the veil of the cause of the
mass conflicts
in the city of Ambon and its surrounding areas on January 19,
1999 and the riots in North Moluccas especially in Ternate and Tidore in
November 1999 are still uncovered. This shows that there is some
kind of a scenario in perpetuating conflicts by allowing opinion on certain
party
as victim widely develops and automatically justifying
revengeful actions by one group to the other. Therefore we view the
Military/Police should
be accountable to the people for the breaking out of conflicts
and the widespread of conflicts that are still occurring until now
accountability is not
undertaken, then, taking into consideration the facts of the
continuing violence (more than eleven months), we heed the people strong
feelings
that it would be best if the Military and Police forces were
pulled out of the Mollucas region and replaced with international
peacekeepers.
4.This latest situation bring us to a conclusion that what is
mentioned as an indication of an extermination of the indigenous people in
the province
of Moluccas/North Moluccas should be given serious attention by
the Government. We consider this conflict which has been given a religious
label as a step to exterminate the Moluccas indigenous people
together with their social-cultural institution, and be replaced with another
form of
society which we could not imagine yet right now.
5.Its is indeed misleading to place all the blames of this tragedy
only to the people. Therefore we ask leaders and all members of the Church in
Mollucas/North Moluccas to continue to strengthen and guard
Christians in facing this severe challenge. May this message of the birth of
Jesus
Christ the King of Peace we are celebrating give strength and
light in this darkness of time we are going through.
Jakarta, 27th December 1999
On behalf of
The Executive Board of CCI
Rev Dr Sularso Sopater
General Chairman
Rev Dr J.M. Pattiasina
General Secretary
