Ambon still tense amid rumors of fresh unrest
AMBON, Maluku (JP): The capital of Maluku province was still tense on Friday as rumors of fresh attacks against residents circulated throughout the city.
"These kind of rumors are used to provoke unrest. It is clear that some people are not satisfied and they want to incite further unrest," Maluku Police chief Col. Karyono said.
Violence with religious overtones in the province has led to 95 deaths -- the latest casualty coming during a communal clash in the district of Kairatu on nearby Seram Island on Thursday.
On Friday, both Muslim and Christian residents in the city reported receiving threatening telephone calls saying their homes would be attacked.
Karyono added that 102 people suspected of provoking riots were still under intensive police questioning.
Meanwhile, Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina and other local officials flew to the nearby islands of Haruku and Saparua to appeal for calm on Friday morning.
"We were appealing for calm. It would be useless to fly there if rioting had already taking place," the head of the local religious affairs office, Hashim Marasabessy, said.
In Ambon, traumatized Muslims and Christians taking shelter outside of the city said they would never return to Ambon.
They were among some 2,000 people taking shelter in a military training camp in Suli, about 30 kilometers north of here, following attacks on residents on Jan. 20.
Meanwhile, contributions continued to arrive in Ambon as various groups showed solidarity with victims who had lost homes and family members.
South Koreans working in fisheries in Ambon donated some Rp 30 million to help rebuild the devastated city.
Antara reported that the donation was presented by the coordinator of Koreans in Ambon, Lee Sang Gyun, to the governor on Friday.
The Koreans expressed deep sadness over what they said was a stain on an "international model of harmony among religious communities".
They also said they had no plans to return to their country because they were confident that peace and security would return to the city.
In Jakarta, the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI), along with Nahdlatul Ulama, the country's largest Muslim organization, and the Suara Pembaruan daily, symbolically delivered a Rp 20 million donation for the victims of the violence in Ambon.
"This donation is part of the Rp 200 million collected by charities promoted by Suara Pembaruan since October of last year," Weinata Sairin of PGI told The Jakarta Post.
Some portions of the collected money have been distributed in Banyuwangi, East Java, and Gunung Kidul, Central Java, he added.
Some 200 people, many of them members of Nahdlatul Ulama, have died in a mysterious killing spree in Banyuwangi. Gunung Kidul is a poverty stricken area facing severe water shortages.
The chairman of PGI, Sularso Sopater, and the daily's general manager, Albert Hasibuan, attended the ceremony marking the donation at the residence of Nahdlatul Ulama chairman Abdurrahman Wahid in Ciganjur, South Jakarta.
No one representing the Maluku community attended the ceremony. Jakarta's Maluku community is currently mobilizing support for the troubled province. (byg/edt)