The Jakarta Post, January 08, 2003
Maluku to repatriate thousands of refugees soon
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Maluku administration said on Tuesday that it would this year send home as
many as 3,000 families of around 165,000 refugees still stuck in camps in and around
Ambon city following four years of sectarian violence in the troubled province.
Head of the Ambon social affairs office M.A. Namsa said the provincial administration
had submitted a formal request for the central government to provide funds for the
repatriation program.
"We have proposed plans to repatriate some 3,000 families of refugees in 2003. It (the
number) is the same as the number of houses rebuilt by the Maluku public works
office for refugees," he told the Antara news agency.
"It is hoped that the proposal receives a positive response from the central
government," Namsa added.
He said the plans were part of the central government's decision last year to resolve
the refugee problems across the country through repatriation and resettlement
programs.
Namsa said the Ambon mayoralty administration recorded at least 170,590 refugees
living in the eastern city after they fled years of fighting between Muslims and
Christians since January 1999 from dozens of villages throughout the province.
At least 6,174 of the refugees have returned home since, and the remaining 164,416
others are still languishing at camps across Ambon, he added.
Namsa said the refugees who had been repatriated to their villages were given Rp
750,000 each for food and transport allowances.
In addition, each of the returning refugees also received Rp 250,000 for life insurance
to resume new activities in their villages, he added.
Religious violence first broke out on Jan. 19, 1999, between Muslims and Christians,
leaving some 6,000 people dead and tens of thousands homeless.
The rival sides signed a peace deal in early 2002 in Malino, South Sulawesi to end the
long-standing conflict. It did significantly reduce clashes but sporadic violence has
occasionally erupted, especially since the Laskar Jihad militia refused to accept the
Malino accord.
Local residents have said the withdrawal in mid October of the Java-based paramilitary
militia, which was blamed for worsening the fighting, helped efforts to restore peace in
predominantly Christian Maluku.
Ja'far Umar Thalib, leader of the apparently disbanded Laskar Jihad, was released
temporarily from police detention on charges of provoking renewed attacks in Ambon
after the Malino agreement. He was also accused of defaming President Megawati
Soekarnoputri in his speech to his followers in the conflict-torn city.
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