Unrest greets ministers, rights activists in Ambon

Unrest greets ministers, rights activists in Ambon

JAKARTA (JP): Fresh violence on Tuesday greeted the arrival of
six Cabinet ministers and a fact-finding team of the National
Commission on Human Rights in the riot-torn city of Ambon,
Maluku, where at least 61 people were killed in religious clashes
last month.

The ministers were sent by President B.J. Habibie to assess
the widespread damage left by more than five days of inter-
communal troubles between Muslims and Christians.

Rights activist Benyamin Mangkoedilaga said the latest
disturbance took place at the Mardika market and was sparked by
an argument between two people. Security personnel fired warning
shots to disperse the crowd, injuring five, according to Antara.

"We were visiting Mardika when the violence began and then
security forces fired warning shots to disperse the crowd," said
Benyamin, who was there with fellow rights body member Albert
Hasibuan.

Benyamin, who was about to leave the city when contacted by
The Jakarta Post, said the team was visiting a site in Mardika
when a crowd of machete- and spear-wielding people threatened
them.

Security personnel quickly intervened and whisked the team to
the safety of the Maluku police headquarters, he said.

Separately, however, Minister of Defense and Armed Forces
Chief Gen. Wiranto was quoted by Antara as denying that fresh
rioting erupted in Ambon.

"It is not true... I just made a phone call to Ambon and
reporters said there was no unrest (there)," Wiranto said
following a meeting with Habibie at the Merdeka palace here
Tuesday. He added that what broke out at the Mardika market was a
brawl stemming from a criminal act. "It was a fight among
passengers (of public transport)," he said.

The first outbreak of violence last month took place in
Mardika.

The news agency reported that shops and businesses immediately
closed and public transport disappeared from the streets after
Tuesday's trouble started at around 11 a.m.

It also said those still on the streets scrambled to find
shelter while schoolchildren were rushed to local police
stations.

Security personnel were immediately deployed at a number of
locations as two helicopters hovered over the city.

Antara said calm was restored and Ambon's streets secured in
the afternoon but troops were still on alert in the riot-prone
areas of Taman Makmur, Batu Merah and the Mardika market.

Military trucks were seen transporting residents from their
shelters in military complexes, churches and mosques back to
their homes.

Meanwhile, the six ministers went straight to the office of
Governor Saleh Latuconsina and met the local administration and
military commander before flying back to Jakarta.

The Cabinet members were Coordinating Minister for People's
Welfare and Poverty Eradication Haryono Suyono, Forestry Minister
Muslimin Nasution, Public Works Minister Rachmadi Bambang
Sumadhijo, Health Minister F.A. Moeloek, Religious Affairs
Minister Malik Fajar and Social Services Minister Yustika S.
Baharsyah.

Habibie on Monday instructed the ministers to visit Ambon to
assess the damage and to start organizing assistance to rebuild
the city that he once held up as a model of religious harmony.

Meanwhile, Habibie told visiting church representatives here
on Tuesday the government would do its utmost to find those
responsible for the string of recent attacks on religious groups
and their properties.

David Gill, who was leading a delegation from the World
Council of Churches, said Habibie assured him that "everything
possible will be done to find those who are responsible."

The delegation included church representatives from Hong Kong,
the Philippines, Australia and the Netherlands.

The government also strongly condemned attacks on mosques and
churches as well as on specific ethnic groups, said Gill, the
secretary general of the National Council of Churches of
Australia.

Ambon was hit by at least five days of unrest that started on
Jan. 19 following a dispute between a migrant Muslim and a
Christian public transport driver. It spread to other islands in
the province, leaving at least 61 dead and 50 others injured.

The violence also caused damages to more than 700 houses, 13
houses of worship, 3 traditional markets, 82 kiosks, 2 banks, 1
government office, 1 hotel, 1 movie theater, 20 cars, 11
motorcycles, and 216 pedicabs.

The riots had also forced more than 20,000 people to seek
refuge in military camps, mosques, churches, and other public
facilities. (byg/prb/rms/27)