Nearly 1700 killed in North Maluku violence

Nearly 1700 killed in North Maluku violence

JAKARTA (JP): At least 1,692 people have been killed in
sectarian clashes in North Maluku since they first erupted in
late December, an official said on Sunday.

Local government spokesman Adjuan Gafur was quoted by Antara
as saying that more than 3,000 security personnel have been
deployed to the area to restore law and order.

The troops are among 10,000 soldiers and police already
deployed across Maluku to stop the ongoing violence, which has
enveloped the islands for more than a year.

The latest violence between Muslims and Christians erupted on
Bacan island on Tuesday, killing at least 37 people, Adjuan said,
adding that the figure could go up.

"The death toll is not final, pending further reports from
village and district chiefs on the island," he said.

Adjuan said although calm had returned, more than 1,000 people
whose houses were destroyed in the violence were still waiting to
be evacuated from the island to the North Maluku capital of
Ternate.

He added that the violence had paralyzed businesses in the
area and that locals were running short of food and other basic
necessities.

Meanwhile in the riot-torn Maluku province of Ambon, the chief
of Pattimura Military Command overseeing Maluku and North Maluku,
Brig. Gen. Max Tamaela, said on Sunday people displaced from
Bacan island would not be located in Ternate due to fears that
they "will strengthen a certain religious group there".

Some 400 of the refugees will be evacuated to Seram island in
Central Maluku on Navy warships, said Tamaela.

He also said military police had begun questioning four army
personnel and a police officer for their alleged involvement in
sectarian clashes on Haruku island last week.

At least 25 people were killed and hundreds of houses and a
number of places of worship were destroyed in the violence on the
island, some 16 kilometers east of Ambon island.

The violence on the island erupted as Vice President Megawati
Soekarnoputri was on a three-day visit to the province.

Megawati's visit was to renew a bid for an end to the
prolonged clashes between Muslims and Christians in the province.

Megawati's first stop in Maluku was Tual, the capital of
Southeast Maluku, which is now peaceful after vicious sectarian
violence last year.

Meanwhile, Anthony Retthob of the Help Ambon in Need (HAIN)
Foundation dismissed allegations that the Dutch-based South
Maluku Republic (RMS) rebel movement had supplied guns to the
province.

"The Netherlands give humanitarian aid, not guns," Anthony
told reporters in Ambon after a meeting with Maluku Governor
Saleh Laticonsina on Saturday.

In Kudus, Central Java, National Police chief Lt. Gen.
Roesdihardjo said on Saturday that the Sultan of Ternate Mudaffar
Syah would be questioned soon in relation to the conflicts in
Maluku. "We've obtained the data and are ready to investigate
him," Roesdiharjo said.

In Padang, the capital of West Sumatra, student protests
greeted Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri on a visit on
Sunday. They were voicing demands for her to be proactive in
handling the Maluku riots.
(28/45/49/edt/byg)