Maluku death toll reaches 94: Minister

JAKARTA (JP): The official death toll from riots in Maluku has now reached 94 people, according to the Minister of Information Muhammad Yunus.

The minister was speaking after attending a Cabinet meeting. During the meeting, President B.J. Habibie reportedly asked for a daily update on the situation in the province.

A team of six ministers led by Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Poverty Eradication Haryono Suyono visited the provincial capital of Ambon on Tuesday to assess the situation there in the aftermath of the violence.

Minister of Public Works Rachmadi Bambang Sumadhijo said that rebuilding work in Ambon would cost Rp 12.7 billion.

Habibie also ordered his ministers to help rebuild Ambon in accordance with the responsibilities of their respective offices. Police said that at least 100 people have been arrested in connection with the riots in Ambon.

Last week, the government said that around 50,000 people had sought refuge in military bases, mosques and churches since the violence first erupted on Jan. 19.

On Wednesday, Yunus said the number of refugees had fallen to 25,000 as the result of an easing of tension in the area, but he warned that the areas inhabitants were deeply traumatized and thus at the mercy of rumors and overblown reports in the press.

Several Ambon residents interviewed on Wednesday said they did not want to return home because they feared a resumption of violence. Others said they had nothing left to return to.

In Jakarta, Benjamin Mangkoedilaga, a member of the National Commission on Human Rights who has just returned from Ambon, said that the Armed Forces had failed to provide adequate security in the riot-hit area. He said the military had been unprofessional in their assessment of the situation and in their subsequent reaction.

Benjamin visited the city along with commission member Albert Hasibuan. During their trip they experienced the violence gripping the area at first hand when their vehicle ran into the midst of a brawl.

Benjamin said the government and the Armed Forces (ABRI) should immediately begin working to restore a feeling of security in the province and provide food for refugees displaced by the unrest.

He pointed out that despite the religious nature of the trouble, some people had sheltered their friends and neighbors regardless of faith.

Benjamin speculated that the inaction of troops could have stemmed from a fear of being seen to favor one particular side.

"Christians were angered when the Army's Strategic Reserves Command were deployed in the area. They said they were Muslim soldiers," he said.

Separately, National Police chief Gen. Roesmanhadi disclosed that police have been looking into the possibility of senior politicians being involved in instigating the Ambon riots, Antara reported.

"It seems that there was a political agenda (behind the riots). I am not making an accusation. There have been factual reports that top level (people) were involved in the Ambon riots," he said after receiving three envoys from the United Nations Commission on Human Rights at police headquarters here on Wednesday.

In Ambon, the coordinator of a refugee shelter in the Waihaong area, Fuad Azus, confirmed on Tuesday that malnutrition and diarrhea posed a serious threat to the shelter's inhabitants.

"This place was not designed to be a shelter, we do not have a good infrastructure here and the sanitation is bad," Fuad said.

Elsewhere, residents could still be seen trying to salvage anything of value from ruins in the city.

Man, a father of three sons, told how he lost his house and belongings while patiently raking through rubble littering Gambus market in search of anything of value. The market was burned down by an angry mob on Jan. 19.

"Hundreds of machete wielding men wearing red headbands appeared here on the afternoon of Jan. 19 and proceeded to launch an attack on the market and nearby houses.

"At first we tried to defend ourselves, but they were too strong and we did not want to die," Man said.

Another resident, Dae Made, 32, said that more than half of the 400 traders formerly operating in the market had returned home to South and Southeast Sulawesi.

"We did not even have a chance to enjoy the meal we prepared for Idul Fitri holiday," said Dae, the father of an 18-month-old daughter.

Shops remained closed on Wednesday and troops stood on guard throughout the city.

Local journalists and hotel staff warned that traveling at night was still not safe and said that sporadic clashes were continuing to take place in and around the city. (byg/01/prb)