---------------------------------------------------------- The US government makes available 55.000 GREEN CARDS (permanent residence visa) in a random lottery. Visit http://www.us-immigration.org for details on how to play the GREEN CARD LOTTERY -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 Indonesia Daily News Online http://www.indo-news.com/ Free Email @KotakPos.com visit: http://my.kotakpos.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------- Antara, 24 Juli 2000 HUNDREDS OF REFUGEES RETURN HOME Palu, July 24 (ANTARA) - Hundreds of people seeking temporary refuge for fear of the bloody riots in Poso district, Central Sulawesi, have returned home and carried out their daily activities as calm returned in the area. "Most of the residents who have just returned home were previously given shelter in various camps in Poso town," said Col. Inf. M. Slamet, commander of the task force of Cinta Damai, an operation aimed at restoring peace in violence-torn Poso, on Sunday. He said an estimated 1,000 refugees are being camped at seven refugee camps in the town. Most of them sought temporary refuge after their houses were either torched or destroyed by the two warring groups during communal clashes. "We are in the process of building the barracks to temporarily shelter them, and hopefully, they could occupy the barracks by the end the month," he said. He said his side was cooperating with the Indonesian police in going after a number of persons involved in many crimes during the clashes. In addition, they also launched sweeping operations involving three battalions of troops to rid the area of dangerous weapons, he said. Through the operations, the security personnel seized more than 5,000 locally-made firearms and traditional weapons from the two warring groups. Slamet, who is also assistant to the chief of the Wirabuana military district command for territorial affairs said security condition in Poso had increasingly been improving. "In the past one and a half months, there was no physical clash involving the masses," he said. Only one or two houses in different places were burnt down and looted, he added. In Palu, capital of Central Sulawesi, Poso deputy district head Abdul Malik Syahadat said earlier the second phase of the bloody conflicts which broke out in April this year had left at least 200 people dead and 20,000 others homeless. "Most of the victims who died and were made displaced were Moslems who lived on the outskirts of Poso town," he said. According to a report from the Emergency Team formed by eight non-governmental organisations, the protracted conflicts had also forced nearly 60,000 residents from six subdistricts in Poso to seek temporary refuge in other parts of Sulawesi, Kalimantan and Java. Meanwhile, Central Sulawesi Governor HB Paliudju appealed to political parties to seriously help solve the bloody conflicts which have engulfed Poso district for the past three months. "I hope the political parties particularly those in Central Sulawesi get involved in the settlement of Poso case, because these institutions play a bigger role in the community," he said on Sunday. (U.PLUPPK02/RS/PLU03/18:15/C/NN01/ING/00:18) 2407000053 NNNN ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 25 Jul 2000 jam 10:08:22 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
