Maluku death toll reaches 94: Minister<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The official death toll from riots in Maluku has
\nnow reached 94 people, according to the Minister of Information
\nMuhammad Yunus.<\/p>\n
The minister was speaking after attending a Cabinet meeting.
\nDuring the meeting, President B.J. Habibie reportedly asked for a
\ndaily update on the situation in the province.<\/p>\n
A team of six ministers led by Coordinating Minister for
\nPeople's Welfare and Poverty Eradication Haryono Suyono visited
\nthe provincial capital of Ambon on Tuesday to assess the
\nsituation there in the aftermath of the violence.<\/p>\n
Minister of Public Works Rachmadi Bambang Sumadhijo said that
\nrebuilding work in Ambon would cost Rp 12.7 billion.<\/p>\n
Habibie also ordered his ministers to help rebuild Ambon in
\naccordance with the responsibilities of their respective offices.
\nPolice said that at least 100 people have been arrested in
\nconnection with the riots in Ambon.<\/p>\n
Last week, the government said that around 50,000 people had
\nsought refuge in military bases, mosques and churches since the
\nviolence first erupted on Jan. 19.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, Yunus said the number of refugees had fallen to
\n25,000 as the result of an easing of tension in the area, but he
\nwarned that the areas inhabitants were deeply traumatized and
\nthus at the mercy of rumors and overblown reports in the press.<\/p>\n
Several Ambon residents interviewed on Wednesday said they did
\nnot want to return home because they feared a resumption of
\nviolence. Others said they had nothing left to return to.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, Benjamin Mangkoedilaga, a member of the National
\nCommission on Human Rights who has just returned from Ambon, said
\nthat the Armed Forces had failed to provide adequate security in
\nthe riot-hit area. He said the military had been unprofessional
\nin their assessment of the situation and in their subsequent
\nreaction.<\/p>\n
Benjamin visited the city along with commission member Albert
\nHasibuan. During their trip they experienced the violence
\ngripping the area at first hand when their vehicle ran into the
\nmidst of a brawl.<\/p>\n
Benjamin said the government and the Armed Forces (ABRI)
\nshould immediately begin working to restore a feeling of security
\nin the province and provide food for refugees displaced by the
\nunrest.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that despite the religious nature of the
\ntrouble, some people had sheltered their friends and neighbors
\nregardless of faith.<\/p>\n
Benjamin speculated that the inaction of troops could have
\nstemmed from a fear of being seen to favor one particular side.<\/p>\n
\"Christians were angered when the Army's Strategic Reserves
\nCommand were deployed in the area. They said they were Muslim
\nsoldiers,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Separately, National Police chief Gen. Roesmanhadi disclosed
\nthat police have been looking into the possibility of senior
\npoliticians being involved in instigating the Ambon riots, Antara
\nreported.<\/p>\n
\"It seems that there was a political agenda (behind the
\nriots). I am not making an accusation. There have been factual
\nreports that top level (people) were involved in the Ambon
\nriots,\" he said after receiving three envoys from the United
\nNations Commission on Human Rights at police headquarters here on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
In Ambon, the coordinator of a refugee shelter in the Waihaong
\narea, Fuad Azus, confirmed on Tuesday that malnutrition and
\ndiarrhea posed a serious threat to the shelter's inhabitants.<\/p>\n
\"This place was not designed to be a shelter, we do not have a
\ngood infrastructure here and the sanitation is bad,\" Fuad said.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, residents could still be seen trying to salvage
\nanything of value from ruins in the city.<\/p>\n
Man, a father of three sons, told how he lost his house and
\nbelongings while patiently raking through rubble littering Gambus
\nmarket in search of anything of value. The market was burned down
\nby an angry mob on Jan. 19.<\/p>\n
\"Hundreds of machete wielding men wearing red headbands
\nappeared here on the afternoon of Jan. 19 and proceeded to launch
\nan attack on the market and nearby houses.<\/p>\n
\"At first we tried to defend ourselves, but they were too
\nstrong and we did not want to die,\" Man said.<\/p>\n
Another resident, Dae Made, 32, said that more than half of
\nthe 400 traders formerly operating in the market had returned
\nhome to South and Southeast Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
\"We did not even have a chance to enjoy the meal we prepared
\nfor Idul Fitri holiday,\" said Dae, the father of an 18-month-old
\ndaughter.<\/p>\n
Shops remained closed on Wednesday and troops stood on guard
\nthroughout the city.<\/p>\n
Local journalists and hotel staff warned that traveling at
\nnight was still not safe and said that sporadic clashes were
\ncontinuing to take place in and around the city. (byg\/01\/prb)<\/p>",
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