Chinese-Indonesians want to return to Ambon M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon
Chinese-Indonesians who used to live in downtown Ambon have expressed their desire to return to their homes as the area, devastated by sectarian conflict from 1999 to 2002, gradually returns to normal. Since 1999, Chinese-Indonesian residents living in the area were forced to leave their homes and businesses, fleeing mainly to cities like Surabaya, Manado and Jakarta. Many of their houses were burned down in the conflict. As the situation in Ambon returns to some semblance of peace, a number of buildings left behind by their owners have been inhabited by displaced people rendered homeless by the conflict. Jl. Patty was previously Ambon's liveliest street, in terms of vehicles and pedestrians, before the sectarian conflict. A lot of people around the country compared it to Jl. Malioboro in Yogyakarta. They had, for a time, been equally famous for their shopping centers and as places for social interaction. However, when the conflict broke out, the road became a dangerous area for people to reside near or traverse. A 500-meter stretch of street later became the demarcation line between opposing Muslim and Christian communities. Maluku Deputy Governor M.A. Latuconsina said the administration was nearly ready for the return of Chinese-Indonesian residents. "We've asked them to be ready to return in the middle of April so they can restore their shop-houses, which were damaged during the conflict," Laticonsina told reporters after a meeting Thursday with representatives of Chinese-Indonesian residents at the Maluku gubernatorial office. Latuconsina added that not only did those who lived in the area before the conflict intend to return, but also families who used to live in other parts of Ambon. "They have stated their readiness to restore their buildings. They are also entitled, like other displaced people, to building materials from the government," he said. Ambon Deputy Mayor Syarif Hadler told The Jakarta Post the municipal administration was in the middle of efforts to vacate the buildings that were still occupied by displaced people. Syarif said the displaced people would be resettled in new houses in the Kata-Kate area. He added that the municipality had formed a special team, involving National Police and Indonesian Military personnel, to evict the displaced people who were unwilling to vacate the buildings. "We will secure the area as soon as they've been evicted. We hope that the returning Chinese-Indonesian residents can immediately settle in and resume their business activities," said Hadler. http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnational.asp?fileid=20060220.D02&irec=2 Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
