M

aluku Police will not enhance security ahead of the commemoration of the anniversary of the founding of the South Maluku Republic (RMS) separatist group, as they have done in previous years, an official has said.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Ambon Island and Lease Islands Police Resort on Friday, Maluku Police Chief Brig. Gen. Totoy Hermawan Indra said that the security situation in the province had been increasingly conducive and that a special deployment of forces was not necessary.

"There is no special anticipation measures this year, just routine preemptive and preventive activities," Totoy said.

He said that his office has so far not received any indication that there would be a revival of the separatist movement that was notorious in the 1950s.

Although some activists of the separatist group were recently arrested for the possession of RMS flags, he added, they proved to hold no separatist ideology.

Pieter Sarimanela, a resident of Passo subdistrict, Baguala district, Ambon, was arrested early this month after RMS flags were found in his home.

At another house belonging to Sarimanela in Air Besar village, police found 25 bullets including 12 6.5 millimeter SKS bullets, eight 5.56 millimeter SS1 bullets and five 70.16 millimeter MK3 bullets.

"But he is no one. He has no principles. He is just a follower. He doesn't understand the philosophy of the flag. Yet, judicially he has to be tried because there is evidence," Totoy said.

He however called on the community to stay alert and not to be easily deceived by any members of the movement as, he said, most of those involved are low-level people who are mere followers of a bygone ideology.

"There is no RMS here, just the Ambon Manise. Maluku people belong to one ethnic group and one gandong *traditional Maluku cultural brotherhood*," he said.

"So, just don't be easily influenced by rumors and vague issues. Such things will only make Ambon insecure," he added.

In terms of the security measures in the Aboru subdistrict on Haruku Island, Central Maluku, which has long been stigmatized as a stronghold of the RMS movement, Totoy said that the condition there was conducive and that there had been no signs of treasonous activities being conducted by the local community.

"We will stay on guard in Aboru.No *RMS* flags have been found. There is no problem there but we still have to be cautious," Totoy said.

- JP/M. Azis Tunny