Maluku to repatriate thousands of refugees soon

Maluku to repatriate thousands of refugees soon

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Maluku administration said on Tuesday that it would this year
send home as many as 3,000 families of around 165,000 refugees
still stuck in camps in and around Ambon city following four
years of sectarian violence in the troubled province.

Head of the Ambon social affairs office M.A. Namsa said the
provincial administration had submitted a formal request for the
central government to provide funds for the repatriation program.

"We have proposed plans to repatriate some 3,000 families of
refugees in 2003. It (the number) is the same as the number of
houses rebuilt by the Maluku public works office for refugees,"
he told the Antara news agency.

"It is hoped that the proposal receives a positive response
from the central government," Namsa added.

He said the plans were part of the central government's
decision last year to resolve the refugee problems across the
country through repatriation and resettlement programs.

Namsa said the Ambon mayoralty administration recorded at
least 170,590 refugees living in the eastern city after they fled
years of fighting between Muslims and Christians since January
1999 from dozens of villages throughout the province.

At least 6,174 of the refugees have returned home since, and
the remaining 164,416 others are still languishing at camps
across Ambon, he added.

Namsa said the refugees who had been repatriated to their
villages were given Rp 750,000 each for food and transport
allowances.

In addition, each of the returning refugees also received Rp
250,000 for life insurance to resume new activities in their
villages, he added.

Religious violence first broke out on Jan. 19, 1999, between
Muslims and Christians, leaving some 6,000 people dead and tens
of thousands homeless.

The rival sides signed a peace deal in early 2002 in Malino,
South Sulawesi to end the long-standing conflict. It did
significantly reduce clashes but sporadic violence has
occasionally erupted, especially since the Laskar Jihad militia
refused to accept the Malino accord.

Local residents have said the withdrawal in mid October of the
Java-based paramilitary militia, which was blamed for worsening
the fighting, helped efforts to restore peace in predominantly
Christian Maluku.

Ja'far Umar Thalib, leader of the apparently disbanded Laskar
Jihad, was released temporarily from police detention on charges
of provoking renewed attacks in Ambon after the Malino agreement.
He was also accused of defaming President Megawati Soekarnoputri
in his speech to his followers in the conflict-torn city.