Police Arrest One Suspect Triggered Clashes in Southeast Maluku

ILLUSTRATION OF DOC VOI

AMBON - The Southeast Maluku Resort Police have again arrested one person suspected of instigating a clash between residents of the Villages/Ohoi Bombay and Elath, Kei Besar District, Southeast Maluku Regency.

The perpetrator with the initials JR alias Jumri was arrested by the police without resistance at Ohoi Elath on Monday, December 5, around 15.30 WIT.

"He was involved in the case of destroying and burning a spiritual kiosk in Elat on October 7, 2022," said the Head of Public Relations of the Maluku Regional Police, Commissioner M. Roem Ohoirat, reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, December 6.

Jumri is suspected of being one of the actors in destroying and burning a spiritual stall in Elath when clashes occurred between residents on 7 October 2022.

With the arrest of Jumri, until now investigators from the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Southeast Maluku Police, accompanied by the Maluku Regional Police Directorate of Criminal Investigation have succeeded in arresting eight people suspected of being involved in the clashes between residents of Bombay and Elat which occurred on October 7 and November 12, 2022.

"Until now, we have arrested and detained eight people in cases of clashes between residents that occurred in Elath on October 7 and November 12, 2022," Roem explained.

Previously, the Director of General Criminal Investigation of the Maluku Regional Police, Commissioner Andi Iskandar, said the eight people were not the perpetrators who started the fire but were the initial triggers for the conflict between the residents of Bombay and Elath.

At present, the police are also continuing the process of examining and investigating the perpetrators of arson and destruction of residents' houses in the conflict.

Southeast Maluku Regent M. Thaher Hanubun previously also asked the police to take a firm stance by arresting the parties suspected of being the trigger for the conflict between residents in Bombay Village and Elath Village.

Clashes between residents in Kei Besar on November 12 resulted in damage in the form of six units of burnt two-wheeled vehicles in Ohoi Depur and Wakatran near Ohoi Elath.

In addition, six houses of Ohoi Depur, Wakatran, and Wakol residents, two junior and senior high school buildings in Wakatran, and 22 houses of residents in Ohoi Ngurdu were burned and heavily damaged in the incident.

For victims injured as a result of being hit by an arrow or a sharp object, consisting of 14 victims in Ohoi Bombay, 14 people in Ngurdu, 7 people in Ohoi Soinrat, 6 people in Ohoi Watsin, and 22 people in Elath.

It was recorded that two police officers were also injured by arrows, namely Matias Vavu, a member of Mobile Brigade BKO Yon C Pelopor Tual, who received an arrow wound on his left thigh, and Surya Indra Lasmana, a member of the Kei Besar Police, who received an arrow wound on his left side of the waist.

Meanwhile, the two fatalities each came from Ohoi Bombay, namely Tosy Urbanus Uluhayanan (28) who died as a result of a projectile in the throat, and one elderly resident from Ohoi Ngurdu named Daniel Kabinubun (62) died as a result of being trapped inside. burning house.

Residents of Ohoi Elath and Bombay had previously clashed in early October 2022 resulting in as many as 31 people being injured.