Kupang riot traumatizes children and parents alike<\/p>\n
By Jupriadi<\/p>\n
UJUNGPANDANG, South Sulawesi (JP): Baharuddin Mide, 45, was
\nhaving lunch with his family in the village of Oesapa in Kupang,
\nEast Nusa Tenggara, when a crowd rose in anger and set fire to
\nseveral mosques and houses.<\/p>\n
He rubbed his eyes, as if unable to believe what he could see.
\nOesapa, once a place of harmony, was now fraught with chaos and
\ndisorder.<\/p>\n
He snapped to his senses and, remembering his family, Mide ran
\noff in the direction of his home to make sure they were safe and
\nwell. Later his family fled to the forest with other Bugis-
\nMakassar residents, while others went out to sea in search of
\nsafety.<\/p>\n
\"At that time, only one thing crossed our minds. The safety of
\nour families and property,\" he commented.<\/p>\n
The riot occurred on Nov. 30, eight days after 14 people died
\nand 22 churches and a number of Christian schools were burned and
\nvandalized in Ketapang, Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Kupang in West Timor is a predominantly Christian area, but is
\nalso home to a large immigrant Moslem community. After the riots,
\na huge number of Bugis-Makassar people who lived in Kupang
\ndecided to return to their homes in South Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
\"Kupang is no longer safe,\" Mide told The Jakarta Post on Dec.
\n4 as he arrived in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, from Larantuka
\nin Flores.<\/p>\n
Mide was among 520 people who arrived in South Sulawesi from
\nthe villages of Oesapa, Oeaba and Nun Bau Sobo in Kupang, where
\nthe Bugis-Makassar population were largely concentrated.<\/p>\n
In all three areas, the migrants had become well integrated
\ninto their new surroundings, with some marrying into local
\nfamilies. Although they were living in a predominantly Christian
\ncommunity, religious tensions were never felt.<\/p>\n
\"We had a good relationship and were always tolerated,\" said a
\nman named Komaruddin, who had lived in Kupang for 15 years.<\/p>\n
Komaruddin, 35, said that strong understanding and tolerance
\nhad enabled him and his wife to live in Kupang, where they worked
\nas fishermen.<\/p>\n
Most immigrants from South Sulawesi became fishermen or opened
\ntheir own businesses, with only a few farming the land for a
\nliving.<\/p>\n
Another refugee, Anci, said that local residents were normally
\nvery humble, making it even harder to accept what has happened
\nover the past few days. \"My parents are still there. We got
\nseparated when crowds began to burn mosques and houses. I do not
\nknow if they are safe or not,\" he said, obviously worried.<\/p>\n
Those who fled Kupang consist largely of the elderly, women,
\nand children.<\/p>\n
The 520 people now here are from among these who sought
\nprotection in a military base and mosques during the trouble.
\nFrom there they were evacuated to Larantuka and then later
\ndispatched to Ujungpandang aboard the Sirimau. At sea, they came
\nacross other refugees who fled Kupang in a wooden boat.<\/p>\n
\"When the riot broke out, people who did not make it to the
\nmilitary base took to sea,\" Jamaluddin said.<\/p>\n
\"I was stranded at sea for two days before I was found by the
\nSirimau,\" he explained.<\/p>\n
Jamalludin has lived in Kupang for 23 years and all of his six
\nchildren were born there. He said he was most worried about the
\npeople who fled into the forest. \"I have no idea where they are
\nnow,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hamsyah, a middle-aged mother who lived with her husband and
\nfour children by the sea at Oesapa, said that her life's work had
\nbeen lost in a matter of seconds.<\/p>\n
Hamsyah, who has lived in Kupang for 28 years, said that she
\nand her husband, Nohong, took refuge in a military compound
\nduring the riot. When she and her children were evacuated, she
\nhad to leave her husband behind.<\/p>\n
\"I do not know how he is now,\" she said with tears rolling
\ndown her cheeks and cradling her children.<\/p>\n
A refugee named Abdul Gani said the official number of 520
\nrefugees was much less than the actual number. There are lots of
\npeople who made it to Ujungpandang under their own steam, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He also said the number of buildings burned and damaged during
\nthe riot was well above the official figure. \"From Oesapa, where
\nwe came from, at least 200 houses were burnt to ashes.\"<\/p>\n
Abdul said that at least 800 people were still stranded in
\nKupang. \"And that estimate does not include those who fled to the
\nforest,\" he added.<\/p>\n
This alarming situation was confirmed by Wirabuana Military
\nCommander Maj. Gen. Suaidi Marasabessy, who admitted that many
\nmigrants from South Sulawesi were still stranded in Kupang.<\/p>\n
\"We are liaising with the South Sulawesi governor and the East
\nNusa Tenggara governor over the matter. We wanted to evacuate
\nthem from the area, but the military has guaranteed their safety
\nin Kupang, so we changed our plans,\" he said last Sunday.<\/p>\n
Suaidi said he had instructed people not to believe rumors
\nwhich might worsen the situation.<\/p>\n
Some believe that the incidents in Jakarta, Kupang and a
\nsubsequent church burning incident in Ujungpandang might be
\nlinked, a suggestion Suaidi denied.<\/p>\n
\"The trouble in Kupang was a local eruption of anger. It was
\nthe result of some unfinished paperwork required to grant
\npermission to establish a place of worship,\" he told The Jakarta
\nPost.<\/p>\n
Suaidi said that the evacuation of refugees to Ujungpandang
\nwas a temporary measure, adding that they would be returned to
\nKupang once the situation has improved.<\/p>\n
\"It is a similar situation to East Timor a few years ago.\" he
\nsaid, referring to riots which resulted in an exodus of Bugis-
\nMakassar people from the troubled province.<\/p>\n
\"When East Timor was once again safe, half of the Bugis-
\nMakassar people who fled choose to return,\" he added.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kupang-riot-traumatizes-children-and-parents-alike-1447893297",
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