Surabaya – Police at Indonesia's second biggest port of Surabaya yesterday allowed hundreds of hardline Muslim jihad fighters to board a commercial ship sailing to the strife-torn spice islands or Maluku.
Police admitted knowing the men came from the radical Ahlus- Sunnah Wal Jama'ah Forum, which plans a jihad, or holy war, against Christians in the islands, but said they could not bar them because they had no weapons.
"We did not have any reason to arrest them because no weapons, walkie-talkies or bullet-proof vests were found when we frisked them," Major Yoyok Subagyono told Reuters.
Authorities fear the arrival of hardline Muslim fighters will renew tensions between Christians and Muslims in the spice islands, about 2,300 km east of Jakarta. Human rights groups say thousands of people have died since fighting broke out in January 1999.
The forum is a loose group of hardline Muslims who had trained thousands of fighters. The group had originally planned to ship 3,000 fighters last week but was forced to delay their departure after the police tightened security at Java island's eastern ports.
Police told Reuters they believed the Muslims would pick up weapons from Makassar port in Sulawesi when the ship stops there. "We know that they will get weapons at Makassar port where they will continue the trip via traditional boats," said Maj Subagyono. Surabaya, 700 km east of Jakarta, is the main port serving Indonesia's scattered eastern islands.
On Friday, the forum's commander told reporters they had already sent scouts ahead. Mr Jafar Umar Thalib said another 3,000 men would be sent tomorrow.
Meanwhile, earlier reports said that soldiers attacked Muslim extremists and killed four of them in the latest sectarian clash in the eastern Indonesia province.
All of the victims were shot by troops trying to disperse battling gangs in Jailolo subdistrict on Halmahera, the main island in North Maluku province, Antara news agency said. It said dozens of people had been injured. Antara quoted an eyewitness as saying the troops directly fired on a group of militants known an "Laskar Jihad," or holy war troops.
Last week, members of another extremist group clashed with soldiers in the provincial capital of Ternate, as troops tried to prevent them from travelling to Halmahera to fight the Christians. Six Muslim fighters were killed.