Maluku conflict has claimed about 9,000 lives: Group

Maluku conflict has claimed about 9,000 lives: Group

JAKARTA (JP): The sectarian conflict in Maluku which broke out
in January 1999 has claimed about 9,000 lives, according to Pokja
Maluku, a volunteer group aiding in the effort to end the civil
strife.

Pokja Maluku chairman Amir Hamzah said after meeting with Vice
President Hamzah Haz on Wednesday that it was impossible to
calculate the exact number of victims as many people were afraid
to report the loss of family members, mainly for security
reasons.

"We will compare our figures (with those of other volunteer
groups) when we meet with officials under the coordinating
minister for political affairs and security," Amir said.

Pokja Maluku is one of several non-governmental groups (NGOs)
formed to help solve the bloody conflict in Maluku and North
Maluku. They are cooperating with the government.

Amir met with the Vice President to deliver his team's
findings. Pokja Maluku asked the government to set up an official
body to quickly resolve the communal conflict.

"The Vice President accepted the idea to set up a body to find
a comprehensive solution to the Maluku conflict," Amir said.

The planned agency may consist of NGOs and the local
government to reconcile the warring Muslims and Christians.

"It will mostly consist of local NGOs and the local
administration as they are the ones who truly understand the
situation in their area," Amir said, adding that the team should
be small but effective.

The Vice President was appointed by President Megawati
Soekarnoputri to handle the sectarian conflict in Maluku, North
Maluku and Poso, Central Sulawesi as well as the ethnic conflict
in Central Kalimantan.

However, Hamzah has yet to decide on what measures to take to
handle the problem.

The conflict in Ambon, Maluku, broke out in 1999 following a
street brawl between a public transportation driver and a
passenger who happened to be of different religions.

The conflict spiraled out of control and spread to North
Maluku. Aside from the fatalities, thousands of families in
Maluku and North Maluku have been displaced.

The government has imposed a state of civil emergency in
Maluku since April 2000 to calm the situation in the province.

The committee also urged the government to review the civil
emergency status, because so far the policy had yet to produce
the desired result.

"The civil emergency status has been enforced for one and a
half years but the fighting continues and more people are getting
killed," Amir said.

Last year, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas
HAM) set up a fact-finding team when the conflict in the two
provinces spread to other regions but it did not bring any
significant results.

The commission sparked outrage among Muslim groups in August
last year when it called for international intervention in a
desperate effort to end the sectarian conflict. (dja)