Ambon – Indonesian's top general in the embattled Muluku islands said today that four soldiers were involved in the massacre of 24 Christian civilians on the island of Haruku last week.
General Max Tamaela told Indonesian television in the capital Ambon that yesterday armed forces (TNI) investigators uncovered evidence that soldiers on Haruku assisted several thousand Muslim residents of neighbouring villages in the attack on the main Christian town of the same name. In addition to the four serving members of the army, a police officer is also under suspicion, he said.
"I'm a little bit surprised about his comments, yes," said Reverend Jack Manuputty, a member of a now-defunct Christian-Indonesian reconciliation task force, and part-time resident of Haruku.
"But he has to make a further investigation into who directed them, who was the one who gave the orders. I don't believe they acted on their own initiative. The people there, the victims, deserve to know who was behind the action."
The Indonesian army has been accused on several occasions of siding with Muluku's slim Muslim majority since battles between the two religious groups first began in January 1999.
The predominantly Christian local police force in Ambon has also been charged with playing favourites, of renting guns to Christians in their battles with Muslims along the fire blackened border known as the Gaza Strip, formerly the principal business area, that now marks the divided city of 420,000.
This is the first time, however, that authorities have publicly admitted soldiers have taken part in a specific incident. Haruku village was attacked by mobs of armed men – by some estimates several thousand – wearing the distinctive white robes and headbands Muslims have worn in prior incidents during the year-long religious conflict in Muluku, shortly after 5.30am January 24.
Witnesses describe each element of the three-pronged attack being spearheaded by men in camouflage, firing semi-automatic weapons. Others, they say, were wearing battle dress under their white robes.
"A group of soldiers came out of the jungle shooting their guns and crawling along the ground," said Cak Talabassy, who fought alongside a group of roughly 40 local men at a playing field a short distance from the town centre.
"They had organic [manufactured] guns and were firing tack-tack-tack-tack very fast. No one here has those guns except the army." Talabassy and others also reported seeing a naval helicopter sweep low above the beach during the attack.
The battle raged for six hours as several hundred Haruku villagers armed with home-made guns, bows and arrows and slingshots attempted to force back their attackers, who arrived along the lone road into Haruku, from a point in the jungle north-west of the town and in speedboats that ran up onto the beach front where the main body of homes are located.
The last Christians abandoned Haruku at about 11.30, fleeing into the jungle. Eighteen local men and six others from a nearby town died, and roughly 50 others were injured, many suffering serious gunshot wounds.
In addition to the lone church, Haruku's two elementary schools, medical clinic, and 360 homes – about 80 percent of the residences in the town of 3,100 – were destroyed. A further 50 homes were badly damaged, water lines severed and large stands of banana plants, a food staple, cut down.
An unknown number of the invaders were killed and injured. However two Haruku residents claimed to have shot men they identified as Indonesian soldiers. When they returned to the scene several hours later, no bodies were found.