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."