Maluku refugees highlight desperation in Buton

Maluku refugees highlight desperation in Buton

Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Buton

"Don't attempt to enter that place, it's very dangerous. But
if you insist, I will just wait 100 meters away," said Thamrin,
who accompanied the writer from The Jakarta Post to a refugee
camp on Buton island in Southeast Sulawesi.

The motorcycle taxi (ojek) driver was visibly trembling with
fear as we approached the Wakonti Baru camp in Wolio subdistrict
about seven kilometers from Bau-bau.

His fear was well-founded because refugees in the camp have
frequently been involved in deadly brawls with locals, the last
one being on Oct. 8.

A tense atmosphere was in the air when the talkative Thamrin
suddenly turned mute as we passed through the last bends in the
road sandwiched by deep ravines heading toward the refugee camp.

Four soldiers stood on guard at the gate of the camp and
dozens of youths standing nearby gave us a hostile stare.

But when I said I wanted to meet Pak Imam, their suspicion
quickly evaporated and they allowed us to enter the camp. H. La
Ode Manarfa, the Sultan of Buton had recommended that I meet Pak
Imam.

Camp leader Imam Djamaluddin initially refused to talk to The
Jakarta Post as local papers in Kendari, capital of Southeast
Sulawesi, carried reports perceived as biased against the
refugees.

"We are always cornered and portrayed as troublemakers.
That's why we have been asked to get out of this place,"
Djamaluddin told the Post.

Djamaluddin, 46, who hails from Batu Bulan, Soya village in
troubled Ambon, said Ambon refugees in the camp were scared.

"They are still afraid of being assaulted by local inhabitants
after the latest clash on Oct. 8, and there are rumors that they
will have to leave Buton," he said.

Djamaluddin tells the ironic story of double misfortune. He
and other refugees fled Ambon due to the conflict between
Christians and Muslims. Now they are facing another conflict with
the locals on Buton island.

But in actual fact the locals are their fellow villagers
because the refugees themselves originate from Buton island.
Although they only left the island around two generations ago
they have found themselves treated as aliens by the locals.

It seems that both the locals and the refugees have had
difficulties integrating themselves after the long separation,
possibly because the refugees have been exposed to different
cultures in Ambon, in the Maluku islands.

The refugees, however, refuse to return to Ambon.

"We have decided to stay, although we may have to risk our
lives. If the local community and the government force us to
quit, we will hold out," said Djamaluddin.

There is no reason to drive the refugees out, Djamaluddin
said, as they have been virtual prisoners in the camp since Oct.
8 after which they have not been allowed to go outside the camp.

"If we are forced to leave, it would be better to die here,"
he said.

Christians and Muslims have been involved in sectarian clashes
since Jan. 1999 resulting in the deaths of 9,000 people and there
is no indication that the war will stop in the near future.

Locals say, the 1,200 refugees in the camp often extorted
money from locals and strangers. Rumors have it that they are
planning to attack Bau-Bau residents about seven kilometers from
their camp.

The camp, sitting on a hill, was established two years ago and
the refugees in the camp are part of a total of 160,000 refugees
on Buton island scattered throughout the villages of Wangi-Wangi,
Laslimu, Pasarwajo, Sampolawa, Batauga, Wolio, Sorawolio,
Kapontiri, Betoambari, Tomia, Lakudo and Mawasangka.

The impetus to evict the Ambon refugees from the camp could be
social envy. On the whole, they are more industrious and have
more perseverance compared to locals. Moreover they receive food
aid from the government. Despite their difficult environment,
some of them have been able to augment their income.
Their penchant for drinking is also a source of resentment among
locals.

Local politics also has a role. During the recent elections of
Buton vice regent, an Ambonese won the post. Darmawati L. Gaho, a
non-governmental organization activist in Kendari said that the
election proved that Ambon refugees had been exploited as a
bargaining chip by the local political elite. This has only led
to increased resentment against the refugees.

"The clash was only an excuse to expel them," says Darmawati.

The locals' anger at Ambon refugees reached boiling point when
a homemade bomb exploded in Bataraguru village on Oct. 8 and a
local villager was wounded. There were indications that the bomb
was assembled by the La Kano group of refugees from Wakonti Baru.

The bomb blast prompted thousands of Bataraguru and Tomba
villagers to attack Wakonti Baru camp, forcing refugees,
especially children and women, to flee into the forest.

Some refugees stayed put in the camp but the clash has created
lingering tensions in Bau-Bau.

La Tutu, 51, a villager in Tomba, said that the Oct. 8
incident was only the tip of the iceberg.

"It was the fourth clash. We lost our temper," he said.

Village elders took the initiative to reconcile differences
between representatives of the refugees, local community leaders,
authorities, the military and the local legislative council on
Oct. 9.

The meeting resulted in three proposed options: sending back
the refugees to Ambon, resettling them in another location or
inviting them to join efforts to restore order in Bau-Bau.

The three options were further reduced to two on Oct. 10
during a meeting at the official residence of Regent Laode
Mohammad Syafei Kahar, that is to return them to Ambon or to
resettle them in other locations.

"It's true there were efforts to force acceptance of what the
local residents wanted. The regional administration, however, has
no right to send the refugees away. We can only appeal to them,"
said Kasim, the deputy regent of Buton.

He acknowledged that the situation in Buton was critical.
"Honestly, we are in a tight spot. That's why we continue to
approach both sides," he said.

Unfortunately, head of Buton District Police, Adj. Chief Comr.
Sarbini, was noncommittal.

"It's none of our business. It's the concern of the regional
administration. We can only provide security for the town," he
said.

However, he said that he had deployed 300 policemen, half of
the personnel under his command, to be on alert.

La Otjo, head of Buton social service office, said the
situation was complex but he hoped it could be resolved.

"They should not be expelled as they are also Indonesian
citizens," he said.

He said that expelling these refugees would only lead to
further problems. These refugees, who have come from Ambon, are
actually Buton people who have been living in Ambon for two to
five generations to earn a living.

"They are also part of the indigenous people here. Expelling
them is the same as expelling us," he said.

Jairuddin, coordinator of the base camp for Ambonese refugees
at the State Islamic Institute of Tanganapada sub-district,
Betoambari district, shared the same view.

"I don't think expelling them from Wakonti is a good idea.
Expelling them would only result in stronger solidarity among
them. Just imagine how things would be if 100,000 refugees run
amok," he said.

Jairuddin blamed the regional administration and the security
forces for their poor handling of the clashes between locals and
refugees.

"They must understand that they have suffered for a long time.
So, do not blame the refugees. They are traumatized. It's easy to
understand why they can easily explode," he said.

Instead, he has questioned the lackadaisical attitude of the
security authorities.

He said there were only a few cases of refugees getting drunk.

"Not all refugees in Wakonti have this habit," Jairuddin said.

The problem has prompted the sultan of Buton to voice his
opinion. La Ode Manarfa, the 38th Sultan of Buton, said that no
party had the right to expel the refugees.

"They have the right to stay wherever they like. Don't make
them into scapegoats. They are already miserable. Where else can
they go?" he said.

The sultan said he had asked the regional administration to
handle the case in the most prudent way possible.

Efforts must be made to ensure that these refugees, already
leading a life of misery, should not be made to endure more
suffering, he said.

"Otherwise, they could be said to be the most unfortunate
people on earth."