Habibie orders rebuilding of Ambon

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie ordered on Monday the immediate rebuilding of the riot-torn city of Ambon and the fostering of tolerance to prevent more clashes with religious overtones, which officials say have killed 61 in the Maluku province.

"The president has ordered a team of ministers to rehabilitate and repair Ambon immediately," Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Poverty Eradication, Haryono Suyono, said after meeting Habibie at Merdeka Palace.

Haryono also said that six government ministers were scheduled to visit Ambon on Tuesday to assess the damage from the violence involving both Muslims and Christians, natives and migrants.

They were Haryono, forestry minister Muslimin Nasution, public works minister Rachmadi Bambang Sumadhijo, health minister Farid Anfasa Moeloek, religious affairs Minister Malik Fajar and social services minister Yustika S. Baharsyah.

Haryono added the team would visit Ambon again next week to ensure that reconstruction is under way.

The government said that the rioting in Ambon which erupted on Jan. 19 and then spread to the nearby islands of Sanana, Tanimbar and Seram had left at least 758 houses, 12 mosques, 13 churches and hundreds of shops and kiosks burned or damaged.

Authorities have estimated the material losses at Rp 500 billion.

Government said that about 50,000 people had taken refuge in military complexes, mosques, churches and other buildings and up to Jan. 25, at least 30,000 people were still seeking shelter in those complexes.

"The damage from the riots is unbelievable. It covers very wide areas in and outside the city," Benyamin Mangkoedilaga of the National Commission on Human Rights told The Jakarta Post from Ambon on Monday.

Benyamin, who was on a fact-finding mission until Tuesday with fellow rights body member Albert Hasibuan, said, "The May riots in Jakarta were nothing compared to the Ambon riots."

"In Jakarta, the buildings still stand, but here in some parts they are all razed to the ground," Benyamin said, referring to the riots in the capital which killed more than 1,200 people and led to the downfall of Soeharto.

He said,"It was impossible the riots had not been organized as they caused very extensive damage over a wide area in a very short period."

"A seaport official told me that a number of people from Jakarta arrived in the city a few days before the rioting to instigate locals," Benyamin said, adding the information still could not be verified.

A number of religious leaders have cited reports that thugs and hoodlums of a Jakarta organization were involved in the riots, but neither the organization nor its leaders have been named.

Haryono also said on Monday that priority should be given to the repair of housing and economy related facilities, including markets and government offices.

The government, he said, will help pedicab drivers who have lost their pedicabs acquire new ones and will provide assistance to those who cannot afford to rebuild their houses.

The rich are expected to rebuild their own houses, he said.

Thousands of people fearing more violence have left Ambon by ship for their hometowns in South Sulawesi and other parts of the country.

Antara reported on Monday that a number of Southeast Sulawesi migrants who left Ambon would go to Malaysia to start anew.

"The riots have left us with nothing, while it is difficult in our home villages to earn a living," Halimu, a migrant, was quoted as saying on his way to Malaysia from the provincial capital of Kendari.

Many were willing to go to Malaysia illegally because some people there were ready to shelter them and arrange all the necessary documents for them to be able to work in the country.

Thousands of illegal Indonesian workers have been repatriated from Malaysia.

Antara also quoted a local health official as saying that the threats of malnutrition, malaria and diarrhea were imminent in the military complexes, mosques, churches and other buildings as thousands of people have taken refuge there.

Head of the local health office, Isac Umarella said many women and children in shelters were suffering from malnutrition.

"We hope the local government will immediately provide new residential areas for the people whose houses have been destroyed in the riots," Isac was quoted as saying.

However he said that shortage of medical supplies had been overcome by a donation of 2.5 tons of supplies from the government.

The violence was sparked by a fight between a Muslim migrant and a local Christian public transport driver on Jan. 19. The incident quickly degenerated into full-scale riots between members of the two religious communities.

The unrest in Ambon is only one of several incidents seen in the past year since former president Soeharto stepped down in May.

Analysts predict more unrest in the wake of the elections slated for June this year. (byg/prb)