Civil emergency should be extended: Governors

JAKARTA (JP): In view of potential conflicts and refugee problems, local authorities deem it necessary to extend the civil emergency status in the troubled Maluku and North Maluku provinces, both governors said here on Friday.

"The situation in Maluku is getting back to normal and clashes have decreased. But, there are some indications that conflict may still erupt in the province," Maluku governor Saleh Latuconsina told a joint media conference after attending a special coordinating meeting on political, social and security affairs.

Present at the meeting, which was chaired by Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, was North Maluku governor M. Muhyi Effendi, Pattimura Military commander Brig. Gen. I Made Yasa and Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Firman Gani.

The government has continued to impose a civil emergency status in Maluku and North Maluku that began nine months ago due to the prolonged communal clashes which have claimed hundreds of lives.

A similar view was aired by Muhyi Effendi, saying that he could not guarantee whether the some 170,000 refugees in his province would be safe to return home since "all reconciliatory efforts have yet to show any result."

"Local government also has yet to resettle the refugees due to limited funds," Muhyi said, citing that almost 20,000 houses were burned during the communal clashes.

Back in Ambon, capital of Maluku, one of the four missing people, who were residents of Kase village in Buru island, had been found dead, an officer said on Friday.

Spokesman at the Maluku civil emergency authority Maj. Marthen Luther Djari said the man, identified as Yusuf Lesnussa, 23, was reported missing after an attack by an armed group on his village last Sunday.

The whereabouts of the other three, identified as Theresa Dias Leskona, 37, and her two children, 3-year-old Yongky Leskona and 5-year-old Alvin Leskona, remained unclear.

Marthen did not give details, but only said that Yusuf's body was found by security personnel."

He said that earlier on Sunday, three people were killed during an attack in Kase village.

He quoted witnesses that the attackers, who numbered around 30 people, wore battle-fatigue uniforms and brandished automatic weapons.

Security personnel suspected that the attack was well planned, he said.

"The rioters have changed their attack pattern. They used to attack a large number of people of a village, but now they attack a smaller group of people, a family or individual," Marthen said.

He asked the public not to be easily provoked by any calls for retaliatory attacks on other groups.

Separately, acting spokesman for the Pattimura Military Command Maj. Herry Suhardi said there would be massive withdrawal and replacement of military personnel deployed in Maluku in June.

He dismissed reports that this month there would be a replacement of the battalions which have served in the province for six months or more.

"There is no such a plan (withdrawal and replacement) in April," he said.

In May, Herry said, there would only be one battalion withdrawn and replaced. He did not elaborate.

Currently, there are at least four Army battalions deployed in Maluku. (02/49/emf)