The Jakarta Post, 3 March 2002
Five injured as stone-throwing students disrupt Ambon peace
rally
Octavianus Pinontoan, The Jakarta Post, Ambon
The quest for peace in Maluku faced yet another challenge on Saturday as violence
marred a parade of Muslims and Christians in the Maluku capital of Ambon.
Problems began after a group of drunken high school students threw stones at
participants in the march, leaving at least five people injured.
Soon after the incident, a clearly upset Governor Saleh Latuconsina declared a ban on
liquor and mass parades for an indefinite period.
"After security personnel found out that these students were drunk, I decided to ban
the sale of alcohol in Ambon for the time being," Latuconsina said.
Antara reported that two people suffered stab wounds, although they were later
discharged from the hospital.
Latuconsina, who was accompanied by Pattimura Military Commander Brig. Gen.
Mustopo and Maluku Police Chief Brig. Gen. Sunarko Danu Artanto, said that the
purpose of banning other parades in the city was to avert any more violence.
The episode began as dozens of Muslim and Christian youths rode motorcycles and
walked through several main streets in Ambon, including Jl. Sam Ratulangi and Jl. St.
Babullah, cheering in celebration of the recent peace agreement.
It was the third mass parade in as many days in Ambon.
As the convoy was nearing the Al-Fatah Mosque, located near the Muslim part of
town in Wai Haong, a group of students pelted the marchers with stones.
Panicked, people in the convoy dispersed.
The situation worsened after rumors circulated that more than 60 Christians had been
taken hostage by Muslims at the Ambon Plaza while they were shopping.
Responding to the rumors, hundreds of angry Christians went to the governor's office,
which they vandalized, causing minor damage.
It took three units of military and police troops some two hours to restore order. They
fired warning shots in the air to disperse the crowds when they came close to fighting.
Latuconsina added that security personnel had identified the students and the
mastermind of the incident.
The leader "belongs to a group of people who do not want to see peace in Maluku," he
said.
"We won't stop our efforts to return peace to Maluku -- even though there are those
who insist on provoking others to destroy the recent peace accord," signed in Malino,
Saleh told the crowd.
The warring groups in Maluku agreed on Feb. 12 to a peace deal during a meeting in
the South Sulawesi hill resort of Malino.
The accord ended three years of one of the country's most bitter communal clashes in
which 6,000 people were killed, and hundreds of thousands more displaced.
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