The Jakarta Post, 4/29/2003 4:03:21 PM
Situation in Maluku improved: Senior minister
AMBON, Maluku (JP): The Indonesian government hopes to resettle back in Maluku
this year the hundreds of thousands of people displaced in the sectarian conflict in the
eastern Indonesian province as the situation is now conducive for their return, a senior
minister has said.
"I am optimistic that the issue on the displaced Maluku people will be settled by the
end of 2003. In 2004, we will be set to empower them," Coordinating Minister for
People's Welfare Yusuf Kalla was quoted as saying by Antara here on Tuesday.
Yusuf said no significant problems had been encountered in recent efforts to settle the
issue in Maluku, as the local people have accepted the return of those who fled the
province at the height of the clashes between Muslims and Christians in recent years.
He admitted that previous efforts to deal with the issue had met a lot of problems, as
the situation then was still unstable. As such, the displaced people were scared to
return and the local people were not ready to accept them due to limited funds from
the government, he said.
"However, the situation at present has improved," he added.
Yusuf pointed out that the central government had allocated no less than Rp 100
billion in 2003 to finance the construction of houses for the returnees, as well as
hundreds of billions of rupiah for the setting up of social facilities in the province. "The
Rp100 billion fund for the construction of houses for the returnees will be disbursed in
May," he disclosed.
He further said that the government had also begun inviting investors to return to
Maluku in an effort to normalize its economy.
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