Days of unrest inflicts deep wounds on Maluku
By Budiman Moerdijat
AMBON, Maluku (JP): Days of communal clashes here and in other parts of Maluku have claimed at least 95 lives and left thousands traumatized, with many vowing never to return to this riot-torn city again.
Terrified residents sheltering in military complexes, mosques, churches and other government buildings, recounted the horror of losing loved ones in such senseless circumstances and with so little warning.
Many migrants in the area are natives of Southeast Sulawesi, and while 2,000 returned there late last month, many more no longer have ties with the province.
They had settled permanently in Maluku, where until January, the possibility of ethnic and religious violence had been unthinkable.
On Friday, scenes of women and children enjoying having their pictures taken by newspaper photographers belied the deep wounds inflicted on the community here.
"Three members of my family were killed in the attack on Banteng Karang village ( 20 kilometers north of Ambon) on Jan. 20," M. Makewe, 43, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Makewe, who is a father of two, lost his house and belongings in the attack and has been staying in a military training camp near Suli, 30 kilometers north of here, ever since.
He said that his elder brother, sister and six-month pregnant niece, Rina, were hacked to death by an angry mob from the nearby village of Hitu.
"Rina, was carrying her one-year-old baby son when she was attacked.
"They took the baby back to Hitu, but a police officer later brought him to us here," Makewe said.
Edi Sitiadi, 42, a local official in Banteng Karang who was also seeking shelter in Suli, told the Post that at least 17 people from his village were killed in the unrest.
"I am still depressed and confused. I don't think I will never return to that place...I hope that the government will provide a new and safe location for us," Edi, a father of six said.
Locals said that attacks on the villages of Telaga Kodok, Banteng Karang, Hunuth, Nania and Negeri Lama took place on Jan. 20. The attacks were sparked by a rumor that the Al-Fatah Mosque in Ambon had been destroyed.
The government said that 50,000 people took refuge in military bases, mosques, churches and other buildings after the violence broke out on Jan. 19.
Sgt. Maj. A. Pangendahen of the Suli refuge center said that at least 2,220 people from Banteng Karang, Batu Bulan and Tulehu were still sheltering there.
"There are both Muslims and Christians," Pangendahen said.
At least eight barracks in the complex have been temporarily transformed into shelter for the refugees, and children were seen larking about in the camp and posing for a visiting photographer.
Women cooked, chatted or nursed their babies while men slept and played cards.
"I will return to Buton island (Southeast Sulawesi) on Monday because I have nothing left here," said 36-year-old Wasuleh, adding that her house was burned by a crazed mob.
Wasuleh, a mother of five children, said that her husband, Ode Rafin, 38, was killed in front of the family's home in Batu Bulan on Jan. 20.
"I saw people chasing my husband. I watched helpless as they caught him and hacked him to death.
"I will never return to that place, even if the government rebuilt my house," Wasuleh, who has been at the shelter since Jan. 23, said.
Her husband and many others like him used to earn a living in Yos Sudarso port, Gambus market and other centers of commerce in Ambon.
Another refugee, Laco, 50, whose ancestors came from Buton island, said he hoped the government would put him into a resettlement program.
"It would be up to the local government where to send us now," Laco said.
Thousands of migrants from South and Southeast Sulawesi have fled the riot-torn city since the violence first began on Jan. 19.
The violence was sparked by a fight between a Muslim migrant and a local Christian bus driver on Jan. 19 and quickly degenerated into a full-scale riot involving members of both communities.