Maluku refugees highlight desperation in Buton<\/p>\n
Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Buton<\/p>\n
\"Don't attempt to enter that place, it's very dangerous. But
\nif you insist, I will just wait 100 meters away,\" said Thamrin,
\nwho accompanied the writer from The Jakarta Post to a refugee
\ncamp on Buton island in Southeast Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
The motorcycle taxi (ojek) driver was visibly trembling with
\nfear as we approached the Wakonti Baru camp in Wolio subdistrict
\nabout seven kilometers from Bau-bau.<\/p>\n
His fear was well-founded because refugees in the camp have
\nfrequently been involved in deadly brawls with locals, the last
\none being on Oct. 8.<\/p>\n
A tense atmosphere was in the air when the talkative Thamrin
\nsuddenly turned mute as we passed through the last bends in the
\nroad sandwiched by deep ravines heading toward the refugee camp.<\/p>\n
Four soldiers stood on guard at the gate of the camp and
\ndozens of youths standing nearby gave us a hostile stare.<\/p>\n
But when I said I wanted to meet Pak Imam, their suspicion
\nquickly evaporated and they allowed us to enter the camp. H. La
\nOde Manarfa, the Sultan of Buton had recommended that I meet Pak
\nImam.<\/p>\n
Camp leader Imam Djamaluddin initially refused to talk to The
\nJakarta Post as local papers in Kendari, capital of Southeast
\nSulawesi, carried reports perceived as biased against the
\nrefugees.<\/p>\n
\"We are always cornered and portrayed as troublemakers.
\nThat's why we have been asked to get out of this place,\"
\nDjamaluddin told the Post.<\/p>\n
Djamaluddin, 46, who hails from Batu Bulan, Soya village in
\ntroubled Ambon, said Ambon refugees in the camp were scared.<\/p>\n
\"They are still afraid of being assaulted by local inhabitants
\nafter the latest clash on Oct. 8, and there are rumors that they
\nwill have to leave Buton,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Djamaluddin tells the ironic story of double misfortune. He
\nand other refugees fled Ambon due to the conflict between
\nChristians and Muslims. Now they are facing another conflict with
\nthe locals on Buton island.<\/p>\n
But in actual fact the locals are their fellow villagers
\nbecause the refugees themselves originate from Buton island.
\nAlthough they only left the island around two generations ago
\nthey have found themselves treated as aliens by the locals.<\/p>\n
It seems that both the locals and the refugees have had
\ndifficulties integrating themselves after the long separation,
\npossibly because the refugees have been exposed to different
\ncultures in Ambon, in the Maluku islands.<\/p>\n
The refugees, however, refuse to return to Ambon.<\/p>\n
\"We have decided to stay, although we may have to risk our
\nlives. If the local community and the government force us to
\nquit, we will hold out,\" said Djamaluddin.<\/p>\n
There is no reason to drive the refugees out, Djamaluddin
\nsaid, as they have been virtual prisoners in the camp since Oct.
\n8 after which they have not been allowed to go outside the camp.<\/p>\n
\"If we are forced to leave, it would be better to die here,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Christians and Muslims have been involved in sectarian clashes
\nsince Jan. 1999 resulting in the deaths of 9,000 people and there
\nis no indication that the war will stop in the near future.<\/p>\n
Locals say, the 1,200 refugees in the camp often extorted
\nmoney from locals and strangers. Rumors have it that they are
\nplanning to attack Bau-Bau residents about seven kilometers from
\ntheir camp.<\/p>\n
The camp, sitting on a hill, was established two years ago and
\nthe refugees in the camp are part of a total of 160,000 refugees
\non Buton island scattered throughout the villages of Wangi-Wangi,
\nLaslimu, Pasarwajo, Sampolawa, Batauga, Wolio, Sorawolio,
\nKapontiri, Betoambari, Tomia, Lakudo and Mawasangka.<\/p>\n
The impetus to evict the Ambon refugees from the camp could be
\nsocial envy. On the whole, they are more industrious and have
\nmore perseverance compared to locals. Moreover they receive food
\naid from the government. Despite their difficult environment,
\nsome of them have been able to augment their income.
\nTheir penchant for drinking is also a source of resentment among
\nlocals.<\/p>\n
Local politics also has a role. During the recent elections of
\nButon vice regent, an Ambonese won the post. Darmawati L. Gaho, a
\nnon-governmental organization activist in Kendari said that the
\nelection proved that Ambon refugees had been exploited as a
\nbargaining chip by the local political elite. This has only led
\nto increased resentment against the refugees.<\/p>\n
\"The clash was only an excuse to expel them,\" says Darmawati.<\/p>\n
The locals' anger at Ambon refugees reached boiling point when
\na homemade bomb exploded in Bataraguru village on Oct. 8 and a
\nlocal villager was wounded. There were indications that the bomb
\nwas assembled by the La Kano group of refugees from Wakonti Baru.<\/p>\n
The bomb blast prompted thousands of Bataraguru and Tomba
\nvillagers to attack Wakonti Baru camp, forcing refugees,
\nespecially children and women, to flee into the forest.<\/p>\n
Some refugees stayed put in the camp but the clash has created
\nlingering tensions in Bau-Bau.<\/p>\n
La Tutu, 51, a villager in Tomba, said that the Oct. 8
\nincident was only the tip of the iceberg.<\/p>\n
\"It was the fourth clash. We lost our temper,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Village elders took the initiative to reconcile differences
\nbetween representatives of the refugees, local community leaders,
\nauthorities, the military and the local legislative council on
\nOct. 9.<\/p>\n
The meeting resulted in three proposed options: sending back
\nthe refugees to Ambon, resettling them in another location or
\ninviting them to join efforts to restore order in Bau-Bau.<\/p>\n
The three options were further reduced to two on Oct. 10
\nduring a meeting at the official residence of Regent Laode
\nMohammad Syafei Kahar, that is to return them to Ambon or to
\nresettle them in other locations.<\/p>\n
\"It's true there were efforts to force acceptance of what the
\nlocal residents wanted. The regional administration, however, has
\nno right to send the refugees away. We can only appeal to them,\"
\nsaid Kasim, the deputy regent of Buton.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged that the situation in Buton was critical.
\n\"Honestly, we are in a tight spot. That's why we continue to
\napproach both sides,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, head of Buton District Police, Adj. Chief Comr.
\nSarbini, was noncommittal.<\/p>\n
\"It's none of our business. It's the concern of the regional
\nadministration. We can only provide security for the town,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
However, he said that he had deployed 300 policemen, half of
\nthe personnel under his command, to be on alert.<\/p>\n
La Otjo, head of Buton social service office, said the
\nsituation was complex but he hoped it could be resolved.<\/p>\n
\"They should not be expelled as they are also Indonesian
\ncitizens,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said that expelling these refugees would only lead to
\nfurther problems. These refugees, who have come from Ambon, are
\nactually Buton people who have been living in Ambon for two to
\nfive generations to earn a living.<\/p>\n
\"They are also part of the indigenous people here. Expelling
\nthem is the same as expelling us,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Jairuddin, coordinator of the base camp for Ambonese refugees
\nat the State Islamic Institute of Tanganapada sub-district,
\nBetoambari district, shared the same view.<\/p>\n
\"I don't think expelling them from Wakonti is a good idea.
\nExpelling them would only result in stronger solidarity among
\nthem. Just imagine how things would be if 100,000 refugees run
\namok,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Jairuddin blamed the regional administration and the security
\nforces for their poor handling of the clashes between locals and
\nrefugees.<\/p>\n
\"They must understand that they have suffered for a long time.
\nSo, do not blame the refugees. They are traumatized. It's easy to
\nunderstand why they can easily explode,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Instead, he has questioned the lackadaisical attitude of the
\nsecurity authorities.<\/p>\n
He said there were only a few cases of refugees getting drunk.<\/p>\n
\"Not all refugees in Wakonti have this habit,\" Jairuddin said.<\/p>\n
The problem has prompted the sultan of Buton to voice his
\nopinion. La Ode Manarfa, the 38th Sultan of Buton, said that no
\nparty had the right to expel the refugees.<\/p>\n
\"They have the right to stay wherever they like. Don't make
\nthem into scapegoats. They are already miserable. Where else can
\nthey go?\" he said.<\/p>\n
The sultan said he had asked the regional administration to
\nhandle the case in the most prudent way possible.<\/p>\n
Efforts must be made to ensure that these refugees, already
\nleading a life of misery, should not be made to endure more
\nsuffering, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Otherwise, they could be said to be the most unfortunate
\npeople on earth.\"<\/p>",
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