Indonesia moved to bring its violence-wracked eastern spice islands under control, sending in hundreds of extra police and troops yesterday to Ambon and putting the military in charge of restoring security after new clashes.
At the other end of the volatile archipelago, separatist rebels warned of a revolution in the restive province of Aceh and dismissed as irrelevant a pledge by south-east Asian leaders to support Indonesia's efforts to remain united.
"Aceh does not want to hold dialogues any more. If we are not given the option of independence, the people are ready to take up arms for a revolution . . . to fight against the government of Indonesia," the Free Aceh movement spokesman, Mr Ismail Sahputra, said.
President Abdurrahman Wahid returned yesterday afternoon from a regional summit in Manila, but showed no signs of yielding to pressure to rush to Aceh to calm the situation.
Mr Wahid has said his monthold government would formulate a new Aceh policy at the end of December, and only after that would he go to the province.
At the weekend summit the 10member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), plus China, Japan and South Korea pledged support for Indonesian sovereignty over its 26 provinces.
President Wahid has offered Aceh a referendum in seven months on the implementation of Islamic law in the province, but firmly ruled out independence.
Next Saturday marks the anniversary of the founding of the rebel movement. Many analysts fear the day will see fresh unrest in the province, where hatred against Jakarta runs deep after years of brutal military rule.
The Defence Minister, Mr Juwono Sudarsono, urged Acehnese to join in talks to resolve their problems, while denying any plans to declare martial law there.
Ambon, capital of the spice islands in eastern Indonesia, was quiet yesterday after a week of violence between Muslims, Christians and security forces when dozens were killed.
"Command of the security forces, including the police and the marines, is now under the military. The transfer of command is due to the deteriorating situation there," a military spokesman, Colonel Panggih, said.
But he insisted the transfer of command did not mean that martial law had been declared.
Hundreds have died in communal violence which has ravaged Ambon and the neighbouring spice islands for most of this year.
More than 40 people have died in the latest clashes, which erupted in a suburb of Ambon city last week. On Sunday a lawyer for the local Christian community accused security forces of shooting dead 16 people, including unarmed civilians.
The military admits shooting rioters to try to bring the violence under control, but insists it is neutral.
Many observers believe that if Aceh breaks away, multi-ethnic Indonesia could disintegrate.
The East Timorese resistance leader, Mr Xanana Gusmao, said during a trip to Jakarta that Indonesia's Kopassus elite forces were behind a wave of murder and arson in September.