************************** Laporkan Situasi lingkungan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Atau Hub Eskol Hot Line Telp: 031-5479083/84 ************************** CSW PRESS RELEASE 7.5.2000 INDONESIA, AMBON: FEAR OF ESCALATING VIOLENCE FOLLOWS REPORTS OF THOUSANDS OF JIHAD WARRIORS ARRIVING IN THE MOLUCCAS Up to 3000 jihad warriors are reportedly converging on the Moluccas. Sectarian violence has already claimed over 3000 lives, both Muslim and Christian, and hundreds of thousands of civilians have been displaced. Now there is acute fear that the new jihad force will accomplish 'religious cleansing' of Christians from many parts of the Moluccas. Already, in Buru Island, 20 out of 25 Christian villages have been razed to the ground and it is estimated that 8000 survivors of previous attacks are hiding in the jungle without adequate shelter, food or health care. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has recently returned from a fact-finding visit to the Moluccas, led by Baroness Caroline Cox. There they witnessed acute fear amongst the Christian communities over the arrival of jihad warriors. Many families were fleeing to other islands. CSW also heard evidence of numerous atrocities against Christian communities, such as the massacre of employees in a plywood factory in Buru Island and the slaughter of a pupil and teacher at a Sunday School camp in Ambon. CSW visited Ambon and Haruku Island, where they saw the aftermath of Christian-Muslim conflicts. In January this year, jihad warriors attacked Haruku from three directions, reportedly killing 18 civilians, burning homes and the local church. The team visited some of the hundreds of displaced villagers now living in dire conditions in the jungle. The jihad warriors have been spending weeks in military-style training in a camp in Bogor, West Java. This fact is difficult to reconcile with the comments given to CSW by a Muslim parliamentarian, who described the jihad as a 'humanitarian mission'. CSW was told that the jihad warriors have been funded by Islamists from Indonesia and the Middle East. It is widely believed that they are politically and ideologically motivated to discredit the democratically elected, inclusivist Indonesian government and President Abdurrahman Wahid, known for his support for religious tolerance. The CSW team met political, military, religious and community leaders in Jakarta and in the Moluccas. Conditions for civilians in many parts of the 'Spice Islands' are extremely harsh, and little humanitarian aid is reaching them. Both Muslim and Christian communities suffer as a result of the religious conflict, but Christians are particularly cut off from communication with the outside world. It is widely accepted that media reporting in this overwhelmingly Muslim country is biased against them. Reports have suggested that it is Christian communities who are the only aggressors in this conflict. This misleading assertion further fuels aggression against the Christians by jihad warriors, who feel obliged to defend their �victimised� communities. CSW President Baroness Cox stated: �We urge the international community to take immediate steps to encourage the Indonesian government to allow an independent fact-finding mission to the area to undertake a balanced, impartial investigation into past conflicts; to try to prevent further conflict; and to lay the basis for genuine reconciliation, which must be based on openness. Such a mission might consist of representatives of the European Parliament or, if this would be more acceptable to the Indonesian government, representatives of an impartial ASEAN nation such as Thailand. There is also an urgent need for humanitarian aid to alleviate the suffering of the people hiding in the jungle, to help to rebuild homes, restore clean water supplies and ensure adequate health care.� For further information and photographs, contact Caroline Cox: tel/fax: 020-8204 7336/5661 or Joanna Chellapermal at CSW, tel/fax: 020 8942 8810/8821. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- "Sebab segala sesuatu adalah dari Dia, dan oleh Dia, dan kepada Dia: Bagi Dialah kemuliaan sampai selama-lamanya!" (Roma 11:36) *********************************************************************** Moderator EskolNet berhak menyeleksi tulisan/artikel yang masuk. Untuk informasi lebih lanjut, pertanyaan, saran, kritik dan sumbangan tulisan harap menghubungi [EMAIL PROTECTED] Bank Danamon Cab. Ambengan Plaza Surabaya, a.n. Martin Setiabudi Acc.No. 761.000.000.772 *********************************************************************** Kirimkan E-mail ke [EMAIL PROTECTED] dengan pesan: subscribe eskolnet-l ATAU unsubscribe eskolnet-l
