Jakarta – The government says an estimated 470,000 refugees are now sheltering in the South Sulawesi capital of Ujungpandang after fleeing unrest in the troubled provinces of Maluku, East Timor, Aceh and Irian Jaya.
The secretary-general of the Ministry of Social Services, Moerwanto, was quoted by Antara as saying in Ujungpandang that the government has distributed 400 grams of rice and side dishes, worth Rp 1,500 (21 US cents) each, for every refugee daily for 70 days.
The relief is given "in the hope it would lessen their burden, though of course it's far from enough", he said after delivering the aid in a ceremony on Wednesday.
The government estimate is the highest so far. In May, the number of people fleeing sectarian clashes in Maluku and seeking shelter in South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi cities, as well as in Southeast Maluku regency, was put at 100,000.
An estimated 100,000 Acehnese are now seeking shelter in various towns after fleeing armed conflicts between the military and separatist guerrillas. From East Timor, thousands have also left their villages as tensions rose in the run-up to the self-determination ballot planned for Aug. 30.
Meanwhile, AFP reported that Ambon was calm on Wednesday after a renewed bout of Muslim-Christian violence that forced many Chinese Indonesians to flee.
In the latest outbreak of violence, a man was stabbed to death on Tuesday at the Mardika market in downtown Ambon, sparking an angry reaction in the predominantly Muslim neighborhood of Galunggung. Security forces moved in and fired warning shots to prevent a fresh riot.
"The situation is almost normal but still vulnerable," Maluku Military Command spokesman Lt. Col. Iwa Budiman said. He said police and soldiers remained on alert and were still deployed in places "susceptible" to violence.
"Large groups of people are only centered at Al Fatah and Maranatha," he said referring to a mosque and church where Muslims and Christians have sought refuge from violence. He said "a number" of ethnic Chinese were fleeing the city on ships and airplanes.
The Media Indonesia daily on Wednesday said at least 1,500 ethnic Chinese were fleeing the unrest. But, reacting to the media report, Budiman said: "It's not that many and they did not leave in one go."
The ethnic Chinese community in Ambon, which had escaped involvement in the Muslim-Christian violence that has simmered since January, were targeted for the first time when fresh violence flared last week. Many of their shops in the predominantly Christian shopping area in the A.Y. Pati neighborhood in downtown Ambon were burned during the violence.
Meanwhile, a report by the investigation team set up by the Maluku provincial chapter of the Justice Party described an attack on July 25 on the hamlets of Kisar, Kampung Pisang and Wailiha in the Batu Gong village, north of Ambon, by residents of neighboring Hutumuri village.
The report alleged that the attackers used firearms, machetes, spears and homemade bombs. They also burned houses and two mosques, and forced the Muslim residents to flee, the report said.
The report said four people were killed in the attack, 14 were severely injured, three others went missing, and three women were sexually harassed. The report also said one woman who was trying to seek refuge in a factory building was gang-raped and wounded severely. She is reportedly now being treated at the Navy hospital of Halong.
"The report was compiled from testimonies of the victims and witnesses to the investigation team of the Justice Party," said Suhfi of the provincial chapter of the party, which also set up a humanitarian team to help victims of the violence, which first erupted on January 19.