DATE=2/16/2000
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=AMBON VIOLENCE / U-S PERSPECTIVE
NUMBER=5-45467
BYLINE=ZUL TAJIBNAPIS
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
NOT VOICED:
INTRO: The city of Ambon in Indonesia's Maluku
province has for months been the scene of violence
between Muslims and Christians. VOA's Zul Tajibnapis
spoke with several U-S experts on Indonesia to find
out why two communities that once lived peacefully
together are now clashing.
TEXT: The fighting began in Ambon early last year,
and since then at least 1000 people have been killed
and countless buildings, including many churches and
mosques, have been burned or destroyed.
Daniel Lev, a long-time Indonesian watcher at the
University of Washington in Seattle, says the conflict
in Ambon has had repercussions far beyond that city.
/// LEV ACT ///
Indonesia's reputation for substantial tolerance
has begun to disappear. The country is now seen
as not simply unstable, but dangerous for
religious minorities. It will affect the tourist
industry, and it also affects the way other
countries regard Indonesia.
/// END ACT ///
Barbara Harvey, a former State Department specialist
on Indonesia, says at one time the country had a
reputation for religious tolerance. She says the
events in Ambon have changed that.
/// HARVEY ACT ///
It (the conflict) certainly has damaged
Indonesia's reputation internationally. I think
Indonesia has been known as a country tolerant
of other religions and these incidents certainly
harmed that reputation.
/// END ACT ///
Some analysts say the conflict in Ambon stems from
long-standing resentment between Christians and
Muslims. But others blame the violence on so-called
"provocateurs" who are trying to stir up trouble in
pursuit of their own agenda.
For Mr. Lev, the pursuit of power, not religious
differences, is the driving force behind the violence.
// LEV ACT //
Two kinds of manipulations might have occurred.
One, directly from outside of Ambon, but within
Indonesia, by the military or other interests in
order to cause the conflict. The other
possibility is interests within Ambon itself
that would have an interest either in protecting
their control of part of the economy or the
administration from many other groups. I think
there was a combination of those two.
/// END ACT ///
Mr. Lev says the Indonesian army has long had the
power -- and the money -- to stir up conflicts between
the different groups in Ambon and elsewhere.
Ardiph Betts is an analyst of Indonesian affairs at
the Asia Foundation in California. Like Mr. Lev, she
believes that religious differences explain only part
of the reason for the violence in Ambon.
/// BETTS ACT //
The indigenous Ambonese are, for the most part,
Christians. The original Westerners who came to
the area were Christians and brought their
religion with them when they came. The Muslims
are primarily other Indonesians coming from
other parts of Indonesia, who bring their
religion with them, the Moslem religion. So, you
not only have the conflict between the two
religions but the fact that the Indonesians who
have come bringing the Moslem religion, are also
very heavily involved in trade and in small
businesses, and they can be perceived by the
Ambonese as controlling the small business.
/// END ACT ///
Analyst Betts says the economic crisis that has
affected all of Indonesia has exacerbated the unstable
environment in Ambon, further aggravating the
situation there.
Although Ambon is now relatively calm, residents say
tensions still linger between Christians and Muslims.
About 17 battalions of Indonesian troops have been
deployed throughout the province of Maluku in an
effort to prevent further clashes in Ambon and the
rest of the province.
The analysts say Ambon is an important test for the
new government of President Wahid. With separatist
insurgencies in Aceh and other parts of Indonesia, the
government must be able to show that it has the power
and the will to keep the country together. What
happens in Ambon, the analysts say, will have
repercussions throughout Indonesia. (Signed)
NEB/ZT/KL
16-Feb-2000 08:23 AM EDT (16-Feb-2000 1323 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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