Maluku rebel flag hoisted
The Jakarta Post April 26, 2001
AMBON, Maluku: Tension gripped the islands of Ambon on Wednesday following
the hoisting of a separatist flag by the Maluku Sovereignty Front (FKM)
earlier in the day.
A brief 10-minute flag-hoisting ceremony took place at the house of FKM
leader Alex Manuputty in the Kudamati area of Nusaniwe district around 7
a.m. but shortly afterwards the flag was pulled down by police.
The red-white-blue-and-green FKM separatist flag was hoisted alongside the
Indonesian National flag and a United Nations pennant.
Earlier in the morning, a crowd of some 100 FKM followers gathered at Alex's
house, singing songs Hena Masawaya (Mother of Nation) and reading the 1950
declaration of South Maluku Republic (RMS).
Tension gripped Maluku, the capital of Ambon, as business and transportation
were halted on Wednesday amid fear of chaos following the separatist
flag-hoisting.
Civil Emergency chief Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina separately asserted
on Wednesday that stern measures will be imposed to those who violate
existing regulations.
"It is stipulated in the civil emergency decree and the Criminal Code that
any separatist movement, including FKM and the display of separatist
attributes are forbidden.
"So what he (Alex) did is a flagrant violation to the law and he knows the
consequences," Latuconsina said in his office later in the day.
Governor Latuconsina further urged all Muslims and Christian camps to stay
calm and to refrain from being provoked by the incident.
"It's clear that there are certain parties who still wish to stir chaos in
Maluku. This (separatist flag-hoisting) incident is one of those such
provoking actions." (49/edt)
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnational.asp?fileid=20010426.A06&irec=5
All contents copyright © of The Jakarta Post.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Wednesday April 25, 5:30 PM
Separatist flag of the South Maluku Republic flies briefly in Ambon
JAKARTA, April 25 (AFP) - A flag of the separatist South Maluku Republic
(RMS) was Wednesday briefly flown in Ambon the capital of Indonesia's Maluku
province before police took it down, a participant and a report said.
The flag was hoisted during a ceremony on the front lawn of the residence of
the executive chairman of the Forum for Maluku's Sovereignty (FKM), Alex
Manuputty, said Sammy Weileruni, an executive of the organization.
"The ceremony was held as planned and everything went fine. There was no
violence, although the flag did not fly for long because the police took it
down," Waileruni said.
He said that the flag -- with vertical bands of blue, white, green and red
-- was hoisted along with the Indonesian flag and of the United Nations.
The ceremony was attended by more than 100 FKM supporters and included the
reading of the April 25, 1950 proclamation of the South Maluku Republic,
said Waileruni.
He declined to elaborate further but said that nobody had been arrested nor
had any violence marred the ceremony.
The Antara news agency said the flag was raised during a brief absence of
Maluku Military Police chief Major General John Maitimu, who had attempted
to prevent the flag-raising, citing a government ban.
But when Maitimu left the venue briefly to tell provincial police chief
Brigadier General Firman Gani of Manuputty's refusal to cancel the ceremony,
the flag was quickly raised.
Maitumu and his men returned to the site some 10 minutes later and his men
lowered the flag without any resistance from those present at the ceremony.
The RMS was banned by the country's first president Sukarno and its
followers were allowed to either remain in Indonesia or leave the country
for the Netherlands, the former colonial power.
The movement has reappeared in Ambon following the drawn-out religious
conflict there and in other islands in the Malukus which have seen intense
fighting between Muslims and Christians for more than two years.
Fighting between Christians and Muslims first erupted in Ambon in January of
1999 and spread rapidly to other islands in the Malukus, otherwise known as
the Spice Islands.
More than 4,000 people have been killed in the violence and up to half a
million of the three million inhabitants have fled their homes for internal
refugee camps or to other islands.
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/010425/1/np1g.html
Copyright © 2001 AFP. All rights reserved.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CRISIS CENTRE DIOCESE OF AMBOINA
Ambon, April 25, 2001
THE SITUATION IN AMBON / MOLUCCAS - Report no. 164 #2
NO DISTURBANCE ON APRIL 25 – On this April 25, 2001, it is 51 years ago that
the Republik Maluku Selatan (Republic of the South Moluccas) was proclaimed
as an independent nation. It is also 50 years ago that its government went
into exile in the Netherlands.
Their aspirations have never been fulfilled, their ideal even has been
extinct in the Moluccas themselves since many years now. These "South
Moluccas" in fact encompassed only the islands of Ambon and its small
neighbours: the islands of Haruku, Nusa Laut and Saparua, maybe perhaps also
some parts of the island of Ceram. But the RMS was never popular in de South
East Moluccas, like the Tanimbar- and Kei Islands.
The RMS had/has no connection with any particular religion, but de facto the
majority of its adherents were christians, who initially might have been
afraid of a muslim dominated Republic of Indonesia. The Laskar Jihad since
their arrival in the Moluccas almost one year ago, have never stopped to
mark the christians with the seal "RMS-separatists" to justify their
presence in the Moluccas as being of national importance.
Now there were rumours that on this 25th April the RMS flag would be put out
in all christian neighbourhoods. And in fact the FKM (Front Kedaulatan
Maluku) – without identifying itself with the RMS – asked permission from
the Governor to honour the RMS in this way. However, no permission was
granted. Meanwhile the christians were afraid that there would be unfriendly
elements intruding during the night, planting RMS flags in christian
neighbourhoods, so most christian males were on the watch all night long.
It is 02.00 pm now, and no hoisting of RMS flag has been reported up to now.
However, many people abstain from their daily activities today, either
because they need their rest or because they are afraid that something will
happen today, especially since the jihads have proved to be well prepared
for continuing the conflict .
-----------------------------------------------
The Jakarta Post April 26, 2001
AMBON, Maluku: Tension gripped the islands of Ambon on Wednesday following
the hoisting of a separatist flag by the Maluku Sovereignty Front (FKM)
earlier in the day.
A brief 10-minute flag-hoisting ceremony took place at the house of FKM
leader Alex Manuputty in the Kudamati area of Nusaniwe district around 7
a.m. but shortly afterwards the flag was pulled down by police.
The red-white-blue-and-green FKM separatist flag was hoisted alongside the
Indonesian National flag and a United Nations pennant.
Earlier in the morning, a crowd of some 100 FKM followers gathered at Alex's
house, singing songs Hena Masawaya (Mother of Nation) and reading the 1950
declaration of South Maluku Republic (RMS).
Tension gripped Maluku, the capital of Ambon, as business and transportation
were halted on Wednesday amid fear of chaos following the separatist
flag-hoisting.
Civil Emergency chief Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina separately asserted
on Wednesday that stern measures will be imposed to those who violate
existing regulations.
"It is stipulated in the civil emergency decree and the Criminal Code that
any separatist movement, including FKM and the display of separatist
attributes are forbidden.
"So what he (Alex) did is a flagrant violation to the law and he knows the
consequences," Latuconsina said in his office later in the day.
Governor Latuconsina further urged all Muslims and Christian camps to stay
calm and to refrain from being provoked by the incident.
"It's clear that there are certain parties who still wish to stir chaos in
Maluku. This (separatist flag-hoisting) incident is one of those such
provoking actions." (49/edt)
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnational.asp?fileid=20010426.A06&irec=5
All contents copyright © of The Jakarta Post.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Wednesday April 25, 5:30 PM
Separatist flag of the South Maluku Republic flies briefly in Ambon
JAKARTA, April 25 (AFP) - A flag of the separatist South Maluku Republic
(RMS) was Wednesday briefly flown in Ambon the capital of Indonesia's Maluku
province before police took it down, a participant and a report said.
The flag was hoisted during a ceremony on the front lawn of the residence of
the executive chairman of the Forum for Maluku's Sovereignty (FKM), Alex
Manuputty, said Sammy Weileruni, an executive of the organization.
"The ceremony was held as planned and everything went fine. There was no
violence, although the flag did not fly for long because the police took it
down," Waileruni said.
He said that the flag -- with vertical bands of blue, white, green and red
-- was hoisted along with the Indonesian flag and of the United Nations.
The ceremony was attended by more than 100 FKM supporters and included the
reading of the April 25, 1950 proclamation of the South Maluku Republic,
said Waileruni.
He declined to elaborate further but said that nobody had been arrested nor
had any violence marred the ceremony.
The Antara news agency said the flag was raised during a brief absence of
Maluku Military Police chief Major General John Maitimu, who had attempted
to prevent the flag-raising, citing a government ban.
But when Maitimu left the venue briefly to tell provincial police chief
Brigadier General Firman Gani of Manuputty's refusal to cancel the ceremony,
the flag was quickly raised.
Maitumu and his men returned to the site some 10 minutes later and his men
lowered the flag without any resistance from those present at the ceremony.
The RMS was banned by the country's first president Sukarno and its
followers were allowed to either remain in Indonesia or leave the country
for the Netherlands, the former colonial power.
The movement has reappeared in Ambon following the drawn-out religious
conflict there and in other islands in the Malukus which have seen intense
fighting between Muslims and Christians for more than two years.
Fighting between Christians and Muslims first erupted in Ambon in January of
1999 and spread rapidly to other islands in the Malukus, otherwise known as
the Spice Islands.
More than 4,000 people have been killed in the violence and up to half a
million of the three million inhabitants have fled their homes for internal
refugee camps or to other islands.
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/010425/1/np1g.html
Copyright © 2001 AFP. All rights reserved.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CRISIS CENTRE DIOCESE OF AMBOINA
Ambon, April 25, 2001
THE SITUATION IN AMBON / MOLUCCAS - Report no. 164 #2
NO DISTURBANCE ON APRIL 25 – On this April 25, 2001, it is 51 years ago that
the Republik Maluku Selatan (Republic of the South Moluccas) was proclaimed
as an independent nation. It is also 50 years ago that its government went
into exile in the Netherlands.
Their aspirations have never been fulfilled, their ideal even has been
extinct in the Moluccas themselves since many years now. These "South
Moluccas" in fact encompassed only the islands of Ambon and its small
neighbours: the islands of Haruku, Nusa Laut and Saparua, maybe perhaps also
some parts of the island of Ceram. But the RMS was never popular in de South
East Moluccas, like the Tanimbar- and Kei Islands.
The RMS had/has no connection with any particular religion, but de facto the
majority of its adherents were christians, who initially might have been
afraid of a muslim dominated Republic of Indonesia. The Laskar Jihad since
their arrival in the Moluccas almost one year ago, have never stopped to
mark the christians with the seal "RMS-separatists" to justify their
presence in the Moluccas as being of national importance.
Now there were rumours that on this 25th April the RMS flag would be put out
in all christian neighbourhoods. And in fact the FKM (Front Kedaulatan
Maluku) – without identifying itself with the RMS – asked permission from
the Governor to honour the RMS in this way. However, no permission was
granted. Meanwhile the christians were afraid that there would be unfriendly
elements intruding during the night, planting RMS flags in christian
neighbourhoods, so most christian males were on the watch all night long.
It is 02.00 pm now, and no hoisting of RMS flag has been reported up to now.
However, many people abstain from their daily activities today, either
because they need their rest or because they are afraid that something will
happen today, especially since the jihads have proved to be well prepared
for continuing the conflict .
-----------------------------------------------
