64 bodies remain unburied in Maluku

JAKARTA (JP): At least 64 bodies from communal clashes in Southeast Maluku regency earlier this month have not yet been buried in two villages in the area, Antara reported on Wednesday.

The news agency said that 33 decaying bodies were found in the jungles of Weduarfer hamlet on the island of Kei Besar and another 31 bodies found in Elar Lamagorong hamlet on Kei Kecil.

Antara said the bodies have not been evacuated as most of the villagers fled the areas to seek safety in military installations, fearing further violence.

Southeast Maluku Military Chief Lt. Col. Ery Susanto was quoted as saying the areas were difficult to reach because of harsh geography.

But he promised the bodies would be evacuated by a battalion of reinforcement troops from Java, which was scheduled to arrive in the Southeast Maluku capital of Tual on Wednesday.

It was reported last week that the recent clashes in Southeast Maluku had destroyed 26 villages and left 112 people dead on three islands.

In addition, at least 164 people were injured and 25,000 have fled to 12 makeshift shelters. At least 783 houses were either damaged or set on fire.

Nearly 300 people have been killed in the province since clashes first erupted between migrant Muslims and local Christians in mid-January.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, Antara reported that about 5,000 Madurese settlers fleeing the savage communal clashes in West Kalimantan arrived by ship in the East Java capital of Surabaya.

The refugees were taken by about 20 buses to their hometowns on Madura island, the news agency said.

Violent clashes pitting the Madurese migrant community against local Malays and Dayaks erupted in mid-January following trivial disputes between individuals.

The violence has spread throughout the Sambas district and resulted in a campaign to expel Madurese settlers. At least 200 people have been killed in the violence.

Madurese properties, including homes and farmland, have also been destroyed in the weeks of violence, which has prompted about 29,000 Madurese settlers to flee their villages or be evacuated under military guard.

Also on Wednesday, the independent Commission for Missing Person and Victims of Violence (Kontras) lashed out at the resettlement of Madurese refugees from Sambas to an island near the provincial capital of Pontianak.

"The resettlement proves that the government is incapable of providing security to its citizens," Kontras coordinator Munir told a media conference.

"The move is like erecting a Berlin Wall to separate two conflicting parties and this does not solve the ethnic tension in the province," Munir said.

Meanwhile, AFP reported the European Commission has approved aid worth 1 million euros (US$1.08 million) to help rebuild riot- torn Maluku.

The aid, managed by the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO), will be channeled through Action Against Hunger of France and Medecins sans Frontieres of Belgium, the news agency quoted a statement from the EU representative office in Jakarta as saying on Wednesday.

The two organizations will help people displaced from their homes in the provincial capital of Ambon. (byg)