Christians in Ambon visit graves

Christians in Ambon visit graves

M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon

In the six years since the sectarian conflict broke out in Ambon,
Maluku province, in 1999, the members of the Lopulalan family
have never paid a visit to the grave of their mother, Wihelmina
Lopulalan, who is buried in a Muslim area.

Ely Lopulalan, a Christian, said that since the eruption of
the conflict, which resulted in the Muslims and Christians living
in separate areas, she had never visited her mother's grave in
Kebun Cengkih cemetery in Batumerah village due to fears for her
safety.

Against the backdrop of the improving security situation in
Ambon, she has finally been able to visit and clean her mother's
grave with her children and nieces.

"We can visit the grave this year, finally," she told The
Jakarta Post on Saturday. "The situation in other years was too
dangerous for us to go,"

The Batu Cengkih cemetery in Batumerah village was opened as a
cemetery for Christians since 1986, and contains thousands of
graves. Next to the Christian cemetery, separated by a 10-meter-
wide ravine, is a Muslim cemetery.

Just like in another places, it is a tradition in Ambon for
Muslims and Christians to visit the graves of their deceased
relatives ahead of Idul Fitri or Christmas.

But the conflict has resulted in the Kebun Cengkih cemetery
reverting to nature. It is now abandoned and overgrown.

Frans Mahudin, 57, said that this year marked the first time
he had visited his mother's grave since the outbreak of the
conflict and it took him over an hour to find the right grave.

"When I got here, I was confused. I couldn't find my mother's
grave," said Frans.

Before the conflict erupted, he visited the grave three times
a year. "It's been my habit to visit my mother's grave before
celebrating Christmas. I hope that with Ambon safer now, I can
visit the grave more often," he said.

During the conflict, which claimed many hundreds of lives,
even cemeteries were not free from being targeted. Religious
symbols, like the crucifixes found in Christian cemeteries, or
Arabic symbols found in Muslim cemeteries, were destroyed.

Syauta, who came to clean up her father's grave this year, was
glad to seen that it was not too badly overgrown.

"This is the first time I've come to the grave since 1999 and
I'm really happy to see that it's fine," she said.