Ambon still tense amid rumors of fresh unrest<\/p>\n
AMBON, Maluku (JP): The capital of Maluku province was still
\ntense on Friday as rumors of fresh attacks against residents
\ncirculated throughout the city.<\/p>\n
\"These kind of rumors are used to provoke unrest. It is clear
\nthat some people are not satisfied and they want to incite
\nfurther unrest,\" Maluku Police chief Col. Karyono said.<\/p>\n
Violence with religious overtones in the province has led to
\n95 deaths -- the latest casualty coming during a communal clash
\nin the district of Kairatu on nearby Seram Island on Thursday.<\/p>\n
On Friday, both Muslim and Christian residents in the city
\nreported receiving threatening telephone calls saying their homes
\nwould be attacked.<\/p>\n
Karyono added that 102 people suspected of provoking riots
\nwere still under intensive police questioning.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina and other local
\nofficials flew to the nearby islands of Haruku and Saparua to
\nappeal for calm on Friday morning.<\/p>\n
\"We were appealing for calm. It would be useless to fly there
\nif rioting had already taking place,\" the head of the local
\nreligious affairs office, Hashim Marasabessy, said.<\/p>\n
In Ambon, traumatized Muslims and Christians taking shelter
\noutside of the city said they would never return to Ambon.<\/p>\n
They were among some 2,000 people taking shelter in a military
\ntraining camp in Suli, about 30 kilometers north of here,
\nfollowing attacks on residents on Jan. 20.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, contributions continued to arrive in Ambon as
\nvarious groups showed solidarity with victims who had lost homes
\nand family members.<\/p>\n
South Koreans working in fisheries in Ambon donated some Rp 30
\nmillion to help rebuild the devastated city.<\/p>\n
Antara reported that the donation was presented by the
\ncoordinator of Koreans in Ambon, Lee Sang Gyun, to the governor
\non Friday.<\/p>\n
The Koreans expressed deep sadness over what they said was a
\nstain on an \"international model of harmony among religious
\ncommunities\".<\/p>\n
They also said they had no plans to return to their country
\nbecause they were confident that peace and security would return
\nto the city.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI),
\nalong with Nahdlatul Ulama, the country's largest Muslim
\norganization, and the Suara Pembaruan daily, symbolically
\ndelivered a Rp 20 million donation for the victims of the
\nviolence in Ambon.<\/p>\n
\"This donation is part of the Rp 200 million collected by
\ncharities promoted by Suara Pembaruan since October of last
\nyear,\" Weinata Sairin of PGI told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Some portions of the collected money have been distributed in
\nBanyuwangi, East Java, and Gunung Kidul, Central Java, he added.<\/p>\n
Some 200 people, many of them members of Nahdlatul Ulama, have
\ndied in a mysterious killing spree in Banyuwangi. Gunung Kidul is
\na poverty stricken area facing severe water shortages.<\/p>\n
The chairman of PGI, Sularso Sopater, and the daily's general
\nmanager, Albert Hasibuan, attended the ceremony marking the
\ndonation at the residence of Nahdlatul Ulama chairman Abdurrahman
\nWahid in Ciganjur, South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
No one representing the Maluku community attended the
\nceremony. Jakarta's Maluku community is currently mobilizing
\nsupport for the troubled province. (byg\/edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ambon-still-tense-amid-rumors-of-fresh-unrest-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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