Civil emergency should be extended: Governors

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)