Poso Muslims return home, Christians take refuge

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Increasing numbers of Muslims from Poso, Central Sulawesi had left refugee camps in Palu for their hometowns to celebrate Idul Fitri, while a wave of families who fled recent clashes in Poso arrived in Manado, North Sulawesi.

At least 500 out of a total of 19,000 Poso Muslims who had been living in refugee camps in the Central Sulawesi capital of Palu for two years, had begun returning to home in the last week, despite the fresh violence, Antara reported.

Meanwhile, Manado Social Affairs Office head Jantje Kumajas said on Thursday that some 2,000 Poso refugees (believed to be Christians) had entered Manado, a mainly Christian community -- boosting numbers to an overall total, including refugees from Maluku, to 25,000.

The number was expected to rise, he said, adding that the numbers would increase problems on the Manado administration already burdened with refugees from the North Maluku conflict.

Reports said that most of the Poso refugees returning home were civil servants, whose houses were luckily 'untouched' during the sectarian clashes.

Many of them used public transport, while others used official cars.

"Reports said that things have returned to normal there (in Poso). This encourages us to return just for the Idul Fitri holidays," said Ida, wife of a civil servant from Gebangrejo village in Poso.

Ida, who has been living in a refugee camp in Palu since May 2000, said that her family might return to Poso for good. "It depends on the situation. If violence stops we will live here. Fortunately our house was not destroyed by rioters."

Owners of public buses traveling the Palu to Poso route said they had enjoyed an increase in the number of passengers.

"In the last five days we have had good days with at least 20 passengers per trip. Usually we had only around ten," an employee of Alugoro buses said.

Kumajas appealed to the central government and international bodies for help.

He said that the administrations of Central Sulawesi, North Maluku, North Sulawesi and the central government must work together to deal with the refugee problem.

Meanwhile in Jakarta, Christian organizations and political parties called for the UN Security Council's intervention to resolve the prolonged conflict saying the Indonesian government was not serious in resolving the violence.

"The (government) plan to impose both civilian, or military states of emergency will not be effective in easing tension in Poso unless authorities at the local administration level are committed to resolving the conflict," Cornelius Ronowidjojo, spokesman for the Christian organizations and political parties, said in a press conference here on Thursday.

Cornelius, also secretary general of the Consultative Committee of the Indonesian Christian Community, said the sectarian conflicts in Poso, Maluku, and other regions had been engineered to discredit President Megawati Soekarnoputri's government.

"We are scheduled to meet the President tomorrow (Friday) to express our special deep concern about these matters," he said.