Refugees in Ambon face uncertain future<\/p>\n
By Budiman Moerdijat<\/p>\n
AMBON, Maluku (JP): Peals of laughter which came from the
\ndirection of children playing tag in the Suli refugee center,
\nsome 35 kilometers north of Ambon, reflected an oblivion of
\nsadness their parents felt over their losses from months of
\ncommunal clashes ravaging the province since mid-January.<\/p>\n
\"I have many friends here and I can play all day with them,\"
\nLori, an eight-year old refugee, told The Jakarta Post during a
\nrecent visit to the refugee center organized by the International
\nCommittee of the Red Cross (ICRC).<\/p>\n
Lori said his family fled there after their house in the
\nChristian Benteng Karang village, some 40 kilometers north of
\nhere, was set on fire on Jan. 20.<\/p>\n
The grownups in the center, however, were in a far different
\nmood, wondering aloud why such violent clashes between Muslims
\nand Christians, which had killed at least 300 people, could erupt
\nin a place once dubbed by President B.J. Habibie as a model of
\ninter-religious harmony.<\/p>\n
\"We have been living side by side with our Muslim neighbors in
\nHitu village for years, so we keep asking why all this happened,\"
\nPetronella Naisere, 43, said.<\/p>\n
The authorities both in Jakarta and in the province spoke of
\n\"instigators\" involved in the violence, but no hard evidence has
\nsurfaced to support the argument.<\/p>\n
\"There have been problems of social injustices in Ambon, so
\ntrivial disputes between residents could quickly degenerate into
\nfull-scale riots,\" Ambon Bishop Mandagi said without elaborating.<\/p>\n
The violence has forced tens of thousands of people to seek
\nshelters in military installations, mosques, churches and
\ngovernment offices while tens of thousands, mostly the migrant
\nMuslims, fled to their hometowns in South and Southeast Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
In Buton, Southeast Sulawesi, for instance, as many as 42,000
\nrefugees are now sheltered in various makeshift centers, giving
\nrise to various social problems that would need to be addressed
\nsoon. Twenty-five refugees have recently died of cholera, while
\nhundreds of others were hospitalized for various diseases that
\nspread because of squalid living conditions.<\/p>\n
\"I will never return to Benteng Karang, I have nothing left
\nand we fear that we will be attacked by the Hitu people if we
\nreturn to the village,\" Petronella, a mother of four said. Her
\nhouse was also set on fire in the January attack.<\/p>\n
Petronella realized, however, that she couldn't stay in the
\nrefuge center forever and wanted to move to another island.<\/p>\n
\"We still do not know exactly where to go from here. I leave
\nit to the government to decide on that,\" Petronella said.<\/p>\n
Herman Joltuwu, 40, whose house in Benteng Karang was also set
\non fire in the clashes, said the government planned to move the
\nrefugees to North Buru and North Seram islands. The offer was
\nrejected as both areas were too far.<\/p>\n
\"Our children's schools are in or around Ambon and we still
\nalso have to market our crop there. So, we prefer Waipia or
\nWaroka in South Seram as these areas are nearer and it would be
\neasier for us to find transportation to Ambon, \" Herman, a father
\nof three, said.<\/p>\n
Herman added that most of Benteng Karang villagers who fled to
\nSuli also refused to be moved to Buru island for the same
\nreasons.<\/p>\n
The government's offer, however, was accepted by at least 315
\nButonese people who were taking refuge at Air Salobar camp.<\/p>\n
\"We will leave for Buru island in early May. I have decided to
\nleave because I have nothing left here,\" said Ufiah, 27, while
\nholding her sleeping baby.<\/p>\n
She said her house in Nusaniwe was set on fire by a Christian
\nattack in February.<\/p>\n
Lahusa, a former neighborhood chief in Nusaniwe, said the
\ngovernment planned to provide a two-hectare plot with a 36-square
\nmeter house on it for each family on Buru island.<\/p>\n
\"We are entitled to get Rp 5.5 million in the form of
\nconstruction materials from the government to rebuild our houses,
\nbut even without the stuff destroyed inside, our homes were worth
\na lot more than that,\" Lahusa said.<\/p>\n
\"So, we have to take the offer, and try to start a new life on
\nBuru island\" he added.<\/p>\n
An ICRC representative, Alexandre Faite, said nearly 16,000
\npeople were still taking shelter in 45 camps in and around Ambon
\nas of April 24.<\/p>\n
\"The ICRC-supported relief operations in those camps started
\nMarch 19 and are scheduled to last until June,\" said Alex, who
\nwas dispatched from the troubled North Aceh capital of
\nLhokseumawe, where he was based to monitor the operations.<\/p>\n
The operations were carried out by a special task force from
\nthe Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) headquarters, the local Red Cross
\nand at least 30 local volunteers, Alex said.<\/p>\n
He said ICRC secured Rp 2 billion from donor countries to
\nfinance the operations in those 45 camps.<\/p>\n
\"We have been distributing small packages of sugar, mung
\nbeans, salt, rice and cooking oil to each refugee every two
\nweeks,\" Alvis, a distribution staff member, said.<\/p>\n
He added that high-protein biscuits were handed out to
\nchildren under five, pregnant mothers and the elderly people.<\/p>\n
Alex said, however, ICRC has yet to decide whether it would
\nalso lend its hand to thousands of other refugees in the
\nSoutheast Maluku capital of Tual, some 500 kilometers from here.<\/p>\n
At least 130 people were killed in other violent clashes
\nbetween Muslims and Christians in Tual and other nearby islands
\nsince they first erupted on March 31.<\/p>\n
\"Nobody wins in this madness,\" Yusuf Elly, a local Muslim
\ncommunity leader said, adding that \"the hardest job now is
\nputting the pieces back together\".<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/refugees-in-ambon-face-uncertain-future-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}