Continuation of
THESE ARE THE MOLUCCAN ISLANDS
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Dutch and now Indonesian colonialism, the Moluccan people have not forgotten the ancient laws and traditions of their nationhood. One ancient practice is rooted in mutual assistance: members of one village traditionally lend plant seedings or help build a storehouse in a neighboring village.
A PEOPLE IN PERIL The Moluccan people are victimized. Sixty-six years of Javanese-dominant occupation of Indonesia has taken its toll. The national identity of the Moluccan people is disappearing fast. An overall Javanese identity is taking its place, which is pervading daily social behavior. This is effectuated by ceaseless efforts of Jakarta to transmigrate tens of thousands Javanese families all over the Moluccan islands. The more than two million indigenous people are being engulfed by the influx of new settlers. Reports from the Moluccas tell of the movement of Malay families into these Melanesian islands and also of planned and encouraged intermarriage by the government. Suffering under the political and military repression, which exists throughout Indonesia, the Moluccans are powerless. And because of the naivete (too-easy adaptability) of the Moluccan people, the Javanization of the indigenous culture takes place with negligible opposition. The relatively tiny and disadvantaged indigenous people of the Moluccas is no match for the one hundred million plus of the Island of Java and the calculated program to institutionalize Javanism throughout Indonesia. Adat-grounds (indigenous inherited lands) are granted to transmigrants under a "land reform" policy, which leaves indigenous landowner with only limited garden plots in the immediate vicinity of their homes. Often jobless, the diasadvantaged Moluccans have been selling off these lands in time of need. In the Moluccas' countryside, valuable timber from the rain forest is indiscriminately felled by the Barito Pacific Timber, in conjunction with the armed forces (ABRI), holding a forest concession covering 1 million hectares. The Indonesian government had also issued licenses to Asian fishing companies/trawlers operators (Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, China, South Korea) collaborating with the Indonesian Navy to plunder the Moluccan waters. This have resulted in forced evictions of Moluccan indigenous people, environmental/ecological destruction, damaging undersea national parks in Arafura waters and a fish shortage among the Moluccan people, to whom fish is the principle protein source. DEMOCRACY AND REFORMATION On May 21 1998, general Suharto was pressured by the pro-democratic and reformation movements in Indonesia to resign. With the arrival of the next democratically elected fourth president Wahid of Indonesia in 1999, the era of the Orde Baru (Suharto's Order) came to an end. The power of the Indonesian army however, specifically its political and economical role and its territiorial structure outside the island of Java, still exists unimpaired. Led by the students on the Moluccas the call for democracy, reformation, openness and the right of self-determination got stronger. The Indonesian army (TNI) dispersed a massive demonstration of students in the town of Ambon on November 18, 1998. Some people died. By provocation methods this vertical conflict was transformed into a horizontal conflict in January 1999. Ambon, the surrounding islands, the Southeast Moluccas and the North Moluccas became the scene of a bloody conflict, which was by instigated by officers and politicians loyal to Suharto. Read more » At the same time the military elite, amongst whom army leader general Wiranto, declared the Moluccas a Military Command Area (KODAM).This was done to justify the placement of more troops, amongst which special command units, such as Kostrad and Kopassus. The scorched earth policy, which had been applied by the above mentioned command units in East Timor was also applied in Ambon/Maluku. Read more » The arrival of thousands of well armed militants muslims (Lascar Jihad) in May 2000, from outside the Moluccas, encouraged by politicians, such as | P3 ► |
 
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono supports Laskar Jihad
He said, Laskar Jihad that took part in sectarian conflict in Maluku and Poso are Islamic heroes !!!... Unbelievable….
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