---------------------------------------------------------- Visit Indonesia Daily News Online HomePage: http://www.indo-news.com/ and click banner our sponsor ---------------------------------------------------------- Death toll in Indonesian religious riot jumps as more bodies recovered by Bhimanto Suwastoyo JAKARTA, Jan 22 (AFP) - The death toll in three days of Moslem-Christian rioting on Indonesia's Maluku islands climbed to at least 45 Friday as the first foreign evacuees fleeing the violence arrived in Australia. The national news agency Antara quoted Maluku police chief Colonel Karyono as saying that as of late Friday the toll stood at 45, but was likely to rise as patrolling troops pulled out more bodies from the smouldering rubble. Karyono said 37 had died in Ambon city, six in the nearby hamlet of Batubulang, and two in Sanana on the island of Sulabesi some 300 kilometres (186 miles) northwest of Ambon. "The number of victims is expected to rise because it is believed that there are a number of bodies trapped under the rubble of buildings damaged during the fighting in Batubulang Thursday," Karyono (Eds: one name) said. There were no reports of foreign casualties in the violence in which mobs torched scores of houses, shops and buildings including mosques and churches. Ambon's Pattimura airport could not be reached by telephone late Friday but earlier an employee said the airport was awaiting confirmation of more planned evacuation flights for the northern Australian city of Darwin. The first 40 men, women and children, most of them British and American, fleeing unrest arrived in Darwin Friday. "There's rioting, burning, looting, some people died," an unidentified American told ABC TV after the group touched down at Darwin airport aboard aircraft operated by local carrier Airnorth. Diplomats in Jakarta said three chartered flights, with some 30 seats each, were expected to airlift more foreigners out of Ambon to Darwin on Friday. The airport employee said "several foreigners" remained holed up at the airport's VIP lounge awaiting the airlift. The Antara news agency said some 300 people from houses near the airport had sought refuge at the passenger terminal. "Soldiers are conducting searches in surrounding areas now that the situation is under control, and more bodies have been found," said a Protestant church priest in Ambon who declined to be named. He told AFP by phone nine bodies had been deposited at his church -- three late on Thursday and six early Friday -- "for temporary safekeeping because they couldn't take them along on patrol." A duty staff member at the General Hospital in Ambon said one person there had died Friday of wounds suffered during the riots Thursday. Luthermans, at the Advent church in Ambon said he had received reports from an assistant, who claimed to have seen himself 20 bodies on Friday but the report could not be immediately confirmed. The violence, which erupted on Tuesday following a dispute between a Moslem migrant and a local Christian public transport driver, quickly degenerated into raging riots between members of communities of both religions. The violence later spread to Sulabesi and Seram island just north of Ambon island where the city of the same name lies and also other villages on the island of Ambon itself. A senior police officer said calm had returned to the city after police and military forces were reinforced to more than 3,000 men. At Ambon Cathedral, a priest, Father Agus, said late in the afternoon the city "feels more secure now but security personnel, including on vehicles are everywhere." Public transport was still not running, but some private cars were venturing out, Agus said, most of them in search of food. Agus said while shops on the outskirts of town, closed since the riots erupted Tuesday, had reopened, in downtown Ambon, many people were buying food "through the backdoor, as people are still very cautious." Major General Amir Sembiring, who heads the Trikora military command which oversees Maluku, arrived Thursday and donated 10 tonnes of rice, 500 packs of instant noodles, powdered milk and medicine for thousands of people who took refuge at military installations, the Antara news agency said. Military Chief General Wiranto also visited the city, bringing with him a donation of 500 million rupiah (58,873 dollars) in cash for some 3,000 people camped at military installations in Ambon, it added . Antara quoted Karyono as saying at least 20,619 civilians had sought safety at military and police installations, places of worship and other public social facilities. bur-bs/kw/jd ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 23 Jan 1999 jam 03:26:17 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
