Foreign envoys visit Ambon for firsthand information
By Edith Hartanto
AMBON, Maluku (JP): A group of foreign envoys, assisted by Minister of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure Erna Witoelar, visited Ambon island on Tuesday in an effort to obtain firsthand information for the planned rehabilitation of strife-torn Maluku.
"Basically, we want to see whether the people of Maluku are ready to live again in a process of recuperation and physical rehabilitation," Erna told reporters during the visit.
We believe, she added, that physical development will quicken economic recovery and resumption of normal activities, so that the people of Maluku can forget about the conflict.
The group consists of three ambassadors and diplomats from seven countries, including Australia, Japan and the United States, and also representatives from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the European Union (EU).
The ambassadors were Harald Sandberg from Sweden, Richard Gozney from the United Kingdom and Dutch ambassador Baron Van Heemstra.
In a meeting with civil emergency authorities in Maluku, it was revealed that the number of residents in the Ambon capital has sharply dropped from 314,400 in 1998 to only some 265,000 in 1999 after the riots began, as many residents have left their homes due to continuing riots.
The city's revenue has also plunged from Rp 5.67 billion (US$569,842) in 1998 to only Rp 254.97 million ($26,838.9) last year.
The foreign envoys carefully reviewed the situation in Maluku, saying that they were committed to speeding up the recovery of people's livelihoods and to conduct humanitarian aid for over 130,000 refugees in Maluku.
"We want to see how things go. What is the use of rebuilding the city if riots keep on taking place and the buildings become ruined again," Kees Van Baar, first secretary of the Netherlands embassy told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the meeting.
Van Baar however said that the Netherlands government will continue with ongoing funds for emergency assistance to the victims of violence in Maluku with a total of US$9.5 million.
"From the fund, $6.5 million is humanitarian aid for Maluku and North Maluku, $2 million is for a reconstruction project which will be conducted in Kei island in southeast Maluku starting this month. The remaining $1 million is for a community recovery program," he said.
"In the community recovery program, we'll let people decide their own needs, what they want to build, whether they need schools, houses, or other facilities," he added.
The Maluku gubernatorial office has estimated that it would need at least Rp 350 billion to rehabilitate Ambon city.
The group also visited several parts of Maluku which are considered safe and conducive for physical rehabilitation.
Among the villages which have been hit by bloody conflicts in the past three years are Hative Besar, Hative Kecil, Laha, Sikule, Wayame, as well as the Halong naval base area.
The base is located about six kilometers east of Ambon and is home to 3,000 refugees, both Christian and Muslim, who have been living there since the second phase of rioting in Maluku began in Oct. 1999.
Civil emergency authorities however warned that planned physical rehabilitation can only begin in certain areas that are relatively calm.
"I think it's almost impossible to look for neutral ground in Maluku since almost all parts of the province have been struck by conflict. Therefore, what should be done involves building the economic infrastructure to bring about public prosperity and then we can talk about building housing and other facilities," Maluku police chief Brig. Gen. Firman Gani told The Post.
Firman also said that many people are traumatized and even afraid to return to their own houses and so tend to live at refugee shelters.
"Therefore, we have to make sure that we have the right development target. For instance, it is impossible to rebuild Pattimura University in Poka-Rumah Tiga area, Ambon as the place was totally destroyed in an attack by Muslim rioters in June 2000. Even though Christians may want the 30-hectare campus to be rebuilt, the Muslim rioters might well be predisposed to commit another act of arson," he said.
Separately on Tuesday, Pattimura military commander Brig. Gen. I Made Yasa said that if rehabilitation is due to begin, there will be no tolerance for any deliberate acts of provocation or riotous behavior in Maluku.
"We will enforce firm measures in policing our conduct as we have done in the past couple of months. That includes affirmative action from joint military troops (Yongab) during any unrest," he said.
People here, he added, are tired of violence but there will also be parties who like to stir chaos.
Made Yasa also revealed that the special joint military intelligence unit (SGI) will be dismissed and sent back to the Indonesian Military (TNI) headquarters by the end of this month.
"We will use the local intelligence unit and continue scaling down the police/military battalion from 17 to only 11 battalions," he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Erna and her entourage also visited the Mitramas community housing complex in Maros regency, South Sulawesi, which is publicly funded and considered the first pilot project for such a low-cost housing complex in eastern Indonesia. (hdn)