JAKARTA, 27 July — Seven Saudi nationals have been expelled from the Indonesian province of Maluku, the scene of years of bloody Muslim-Christian clashes, it was announced yesterday. The Saudis, who arrived Wednesday, were expelled because they did not have the special permit required of foreign visitors to the Malukus, said provincial Gov. Saleh Latuconsina.
Latuconsina said he did not know why the Saudis had come to the province, according to the state Antara news agency. "In principle, any foreigner visiting Maluku without the special permit will be expelled, as part of efforts to prevent any untoward eventuality," he said.
Since 1999 more than 5,000 people in the Malukus have died in clashes between Muslims and Christians, whose fighters were sometimes backed up by members of the police and military. A shaky government-sponsored peace deal has been in effect since February.
Laskar Jihad, a militia based on the main Indonesian island of Java, sent thousands of fighters to the Malukus from May 2000, vowing to defend Muslims against Christians.
A smaller group called Laskar Mujahedeen has also operated in the Malukus and there have been claims from some sources that it has recruited foreign fighters in the past.
Laskar Jihad chief Jaafar Umar Thalib will face three charges when he goes on trial on Aug. 1 in Jakarta, his lawyer said in the capital yesterday.
Achmad Michdan told AFP that Thalib, who was freed from police detention Thursday evening, would face charges of sowing hatred, defaming the president’s name and creating enmity against the state. It was not clear what penalties the charges carry.
Thalib was arrested on May 4 and accused of inciting violence in a sermon he gave in the Malukus. Two days after he spoke, unidentified attackers raided the Christian village of Soya and massacred 13 people.
