More Ambon residents flee to South Sulawesi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Riots that killed at least 31 people in Ambon,
\nin Maluku last week have caused 3,000 residents to seek shelter
\nin Baubau on Buton Island, South Sulawesi, Antara reported.<\/p>\n
They joined tens of thousands of migrants and Ambonese
\nrefugees here in Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
The 3,000 people boarded the Lambelu vessel from Ambon and
\narrived in Murhum Baubau port on Wednesday. Some 400 of the
\nrefugees were yet to leave the port as they had lost track of
\ntheir families.<\/p>\n
\"In fact, we've provided shelters for them ... but due to the
\nlarge number of people many are stranded on the port,\" an
\nofficial was quoted by the news agency as saying.<\/p>\n
Deputy governor Paula Renyaan, who chairs the committee in
\ncharge of assisting refugees, said on Monday that the recent
\nriots had added a further 30,000 people to an estimated 40,000
\ndisplaced people in Ambon and 35,000 in Tual.<\/p>\n
The government said on Thursday an estimated 470,000 refugees
\nwere now sheltering in the South Sulawesi capital of Ujungpandang
\nafter fleeing unrest in the troubled provinces of Maluku, East
\nTimor, Aceh and Irian Jaya.<\/p>\n
Separately, the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of
\nViolence (Kontras) disclosed on Friday their latest information
\non the outbreak of violence in Ambon. The commission said 82
\npeople had been killed, 141 injured and four were declared
\nmissing.<\/p>\n
From the above figure, 44 people were the victims of the
\nauthorities' shooting spree. The commission is still seeking
\nclarification on the reason for the other deaths, injuries and
\nthe identity of those missing.<\/p>\n
Kontras also said it had only received data that identified 13
\nof the dead victims.<\/p>\n
Kontras in its statement demanded the neutrality of security
\nforces in handling the case and bringing an end to violence in
\nthe province. It also called for all communities in Ambon to seek
\na truce and a peaceful dialog with each other.<\/p>\n
Separately, the United Nation's World Food Program (WFP) said
\nit had extended aid for an estimated 18,000 refugees in the riot-
\ntorn city of Ambon, the news agency reported.<\/p>\n
\"WFP has granted 670 tons of rice, cooking oil, sugar, salted
\nfish, soup, and a number of basic needs to be distributed to the
\nrefugees in the next three months,\" said a spokesman for the
\nprovincial social affairs office, Saud Hutadjulu, here on Friday.<\/p>\n
The WFP aid will be distributed through the Asian Cycling
\nFederation. Each person is set to receive 400 grams of rice a
\nday. (edt\/byg)<\/p>",
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