Rice aid sent to riot-hit Tual

AMBON, Maluku: The provincial logistics office is sending 100 metric tons of rice to Tual in Southeast Maluku, which recently was hit by religious clashes that killed more than 100 people, Antara reported on Tuesday.

The rice aid was sent on Monday and was scheduled to arrive on Tuesday. Governor Saleh Latuconsina has asked another ship carrying rice from Surabaya, East Java, which had reached Tual but could not unload because of security problems, to return. He said he asked security authorities to guarantee the ship's safety.

Communal clashes between Muslims and Christians in the province erupted in mid-January and have killed at least 300 people. Tension in the province is slowly dissipating and some refugees have started to return home.

Meanwhile, Antara reported that Dutch Ambassador Baron S. Van Heemstra, his wife and a number of embassy staff will visit Ambon from April 21 to April 23. The ambassador will meet with Latuconsina and high ranking officials, including members of the special team of Maluku-born officers the Armed Forces deployed to the province to end the violence.

The visit will be used by the ambassador to study the cause of the riots, which some have linked to the separatist group the South Maluku Republic, many of whose members currently reside in the Netherlands. (swe)