VP visits riot-torn Maluku<\/p>\n
TERNATE, North Maluku (JP): Vice President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri arrived in Maluku on Monday to renew the
\ngovernment's bid to bring peace to the riot-torn territory.<\/p>\n
Megawati's first stop was Tual, the capital of Southeast
\nMaluku, which is peaceful after being hit by waves of sectarian
\nviolence last year.<\/p>\n
In Tual, Megawati visited some 6,000 refugees sheltered at the
\nlocal police headquarters and naval base, witnesses said.<\/p>\n
She later flew to the provincial capital of Ambon, which local
\nmilitary sources said was calm after a major operation was
\nlaunched over the weekend to confiscate weapons.<\/p>\n
Accompanying Megawati were a number of Cabinet ministers,
\nincluding Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and
\nSecurity Gen. Wiranto, and Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander
\nAdm. Widodo A.S.<\/p>\n
Megawati, who has been tasked with resolving the year-long
\nfighting between Muslims and Christians in Maluku, visited Ambon
\nlast month along with President Abdurrahman Wahid.<\/p>\n
The two leaders urged the warring parties to settle the
\nconflict themselves. Days after the visit, violence again
\nerupted, leaving hundreds dead in two weeks.<\/p>\n
Megawati's arrival came only a day after fresh sectarian
\nclashes erupted on Haruku island, some 16 kilometers east of
\nAmbon, leaving at least 18 dead and dozens more injured.<\/p>\n
Local military chief Brig. Gen. Max Tamaela said this latest
\nviolence began after a Muslim mob attacked and burned a church on
\nSunday morning.<\/p>\n
Hospital officials appealed for medical supplies on Monday,
\nsaying they could not treat all those injured in Sunday's clash.<\/p>\n
The night curfew which was imposed on Ambon on Dec. 30 remains
\nin effect, and Tamaela said four civilians were arrested on
\nSunday for possessing weapons and violating the curfew.<\/p>\n
Megawati, who is on a three-day visit to the province, is
\nscheduled to arrive in the North Maluku capital of Ternate on
\nTuesday afternoon, local officials said.<\/p>\n
North Maluku has recently been wracked by some of the worst
\nreligious clashes seen in the territory. According to official
\nfigures more than 750 people have been killed in the violence
\nsince late last month.<\/p>\n
Fresh clashes were reported on Monday in several villages near
\nthe border between the districts of Kao and Malifut, some 100
\nkilometers from Ternate. More than 100 troops from the Army
\nStrategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) have been dispatched to calm
\nthe situation.<\/p>\n
The spokesman for the local administration, Idrus Assegaf,
\nsaid Megawati was scheduled to visit a number of refugee camps in
\nDufa-Dufa and Jambula, to the north and south of Ternate
\nrespectively, on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Megawati is also scheduled to visit on Wednesday a refugee
\ncamp at Jailolo beach, where more than 7,200 displaced people,
\nmostly children, women and the elderly, are sheltering.<\/p>\n
At least eight warships, two helicopters and three companies
\nof troops will be on standby during Megawati's visit to the area,
\nmilitary sources said. The Vice President will spend the night on
\none of the warships, KRI Arun, in the waters off Jailolo.<\/p>\n
Local residents and troops were busy cleaning the streets on
\nMonday in preparation for the visit.<\/p>\n
Monday also saw hundreds of people gather in front of the
\ngubernatorial office to demand an investigation into Ternate
\nSultan Mudaffar Syah's alleged role in the protracted conflict in
\nthe province.<\/p>\n
Later in the day, a four-member team from the National
\nCommission on Human Rights began a fact-finding mission in the
\narea by visiting several refugee camps in Ternate, Tobelo,
\nJailolo and on Tidore island.<\/p>\n
The team, which consists of rights body members Bambang W.
\nSuharto, B.N. Marbun, Soegiri and Syamsuddin, arrived from Ambon
\non Sunday. They were flanked by at least four armed soldiers
\nduring their visit to the camps.<\/p>\n
Separately, North Maluku military sector commander Lt. Col.
\nSoetrisno said some 40 reinforcement troops had been deployed to
\nthe riot-prone area of Barnabas Port in Jailolo district, North
\nMaluku, on Monday to prevent an escalation of overnight clashes.<\/p>\n
There was a tense standoff between warring parties in the area
\non Sunday. The two parties traded verbal jabs but did not cross a
\ndemarcation line drawn by soldiers.<\/p>\n
Several warning shots were fired on Sunday when a number of
\ncombatants approached the line. (emf\/byg)<\/p>",
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