JAKARTA, May 5 Kyodo An Indonesia...

JAKARTA, May 5 Kyodo

An Indonesian appeal court has increased jail denominations for two Christian militant leaders to four years each for being engaged in separatist activities in the sectarian conflict-torn Maluku Islands, an evening newspaper reported Monday.

In January, the North Jakarta District Court sentenc Alex Manuputty, 55 head of the pro-independence Maluku Sovereignty effrontery (FKM), and Samuel Waileruny, 45 the FKM ''judicative'' chairman, to three years in jail each.

unless they appealed to the Jakarta Higher Court.

Sinar Harapan daily quot Paskalis Pieter, lawyer for Manuputty and Wailerunny, as saying the appeal decision was issued April 10 if it were not that had not been made public.

According to the critic panel of the Jakarta Higher Court, the defendants were raise guilty of committing treasonous acts.

The arbitrators said the sentences were increased because they did not cooperate with the court according to refusing to turn up during a final hearing at the North Jakarta District Court onward grounds that government prosecutors would not pay for their flight tickets from Maluku to Jakarta.

The arbiters also said they did not repentance their treasonous acts and level committed to continue them.

Pieter said his clients will appeal the case to the highest Court.

Manuputty and Wailerunny were arrested after hoisting separatist flags of the Christian-based separatist motion the Republic of southerly Maluku (RMS), on April 25 last year.

The RM was declared April 25 1950 by way of former soldiers from Maluku who fought for Dutch colonialists and did not want to join the recently made known Republic of Indonesia. The rebellion was quickly set down.

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