Lull in Ambon violence fails to halt unease
Lull in Ambon violence fails to halt unease
JAKARTA (JP): Calm remained in devastated Ambon on Saturday
but fears were kindled by rumored abductions and the discovery of
a body in the Maluku capital, witnesses and hospital staff said.
"The city is calm and busier than a few days ago, but an
unidentified male body was found in the Galunggung area at about
11 a.m," Devi, a staff member at Maranatha Church, told The
Jakarta Post by phone.
He said he personally saw the corpse and that personnel from
the military hospital collected it later in the afternoon.
"The body has a gash in the neck and a slash wound in the
hip," Devi said. "The body was found without any identity card."
First Pvt. Sukardi from the military hospital confirmed the
death and told the Post the corpse was in the hospital's morgue.
"We took the body at around 2 p.m. and he has a long open
wound behind his neck."
A local journalist, speaking on the condition of anonymity,
also described the city as calm, with a heavy security presence.
"Fully armed troops are in the streets and more public
transportation is operating now," he said.
Armed Forces (ABRI) chief Gen. Wiranto has sent about 2,000
reinforcements to the province to quell weeks of clashes between
Muslims and Christians which have killed more than 182 people.
The journalist said rumors of abductions were fueling unease.
"We live in a horrifying situation now because of the rumors.
Muslims are afraid to go to the Christian parts (of the city),
and likewise for the Christians."
He said one more man died in the military hospital on Saturday
after a week of intensive treatment for a stab wound.
"Sumardi Flores was stabbed in the stomach through his left
rib in Galala last Sunday," he said.
Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Riswadi, the head of the Maluku Police
command post, told the Post that National Police chief Gen.
Roesmanhadi made an hour-long visit to Ambon on Saturday.
"He was here to boost the morale of the local police personnel
and he told them to fully support the riot control operation
under the command of the military."
He added that Roesmanhadi also met with Maluku Governor Saleh
Latuconsina and local military commander Col. Karel Ralahalu.
Riot control was handed over to the military on Thursday
following outbreaks of sectarian violence in downtown Ambon on
Wednesday which killed at least nine people.
Local officials said earlier the transfer of control was
instructed by Wiranto and made at the request of the governor.
Meanwhile, Antara quoted spokesman for the local office of the
State Logistics Agency (Bulog) Arif Mandu as saying on Saturday
the 27,295 metric tons of rice in Ambon were sufficient stock for
only three months.
The World Food Program (WFP) warned in a report released
earlier this week that food shortages in Ambon were worsening.
The report said the entire supply chain was disrupted and that
food imports dropped 75 percent because ships were afraid to
dock. Traders have also stopped storing food "in stores that
could be burned at any moment".
The WFP said its survey of Ambon and surrounding areas was
conducted from March 1 to March 5. It counted 33,000 displaced
people, with 18,554 in Ambon alone.
In addition to 3,500 houses destroyed, the biggest city market
and 700 shops have been burned or razed during communal clashes
that erupted in mid-January.
Meanwhile, women's rights activist Karlina Leksono said here
on Saturday several Jakarta-based non-governmental organizations
would send a team of relief workers to Ambon next week.
Unrest developed from a dispute between a Muslim migrant and a
local Christian driver of a public minibus on Jan. 19.
It quickly degenerated into full-scale riots involving members
of both communities. (byg/edt)