President hopes for lasting peace in Maluku

AMBON: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called on the people of Maluku to preserve peace in the province in order to build a better future.

The President expressed his relief that the people of Maluku had overcome social conflicts that rocked the province between 1999 and 2004.

"Let's cherish the end of times when brotherhood and togetherness was torn apart. The period is in the past," Yudhoyono said, referring to the sectarian conflicts that killed thousands of people and displaced many others.

Yudhoyono was visiting the Maluku capital of Ambon to receive the province's highest honor, reserved for the nation's most prominent figures.

The President recently sparked protest from the people of Maluku for failing to appoint a Maluku native as minister in his Cabinet.

Apparently to appease the anger, the President picked Maluku native, Lt. George Toisutta, as chief of the Army. - JP