Indonesia
By Larry Habegger | Permalink |
No Comments | May 13th, 2002 | Trackback
National parliamentary elections are scheduled for June 7 with campaigning to begin officially in May. Given the unrest that has flared in various places around the country in the past year, prudence suggests deferring travel to Indonesia during the election campaign. Bali and other places frequented by tourists have been largely free of trouble and are likely to remain so, but it isn’t inconceivable that passions could rise here as well during the campaign.
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Indonesia
By Larry Habegger | Permalink |
No Comments | May 13th, 2002 | Trackback
Violence has returned to West Kalimantan in a fashion eerily similar to a slaughter that took place two years ago when Dayaks and other locals turned on immigrants from the island of Madura. Almost 200 people have been killed with low-tech weapons such as spears, knives and crossbows, and tensions remain high. Travel to this region should be avoided.
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Indonesia
By Larry Habegger | Permalink |
No Comments | May 13th, 2002 | Trackback
An errant ship in the Madura Strait between the islands of Java and Madura near Surabaya sliced the cables carrying power to Madura, and the island is now without electricity, telephones or a central water system. Small generators supply emergency power to some facilities, but most of the island is blacked out and will remain so until mid-March or longer. Crime at night is already rising. Consider deferring travel until the power supply is repaired.
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Indonesia
By Larry Habegger | Permalink |
No Comments | May 13th, 2002 | Trackback
Trouble flared again in Maluku Province February 22, this time on the island of Saparua, when Muslim and Christian gangs attacked each other. Saparua is near Ambon, where some 160 people were killed in similar violence in January. Police were issued shoot-to-kill orders in mid-February in an effort to contain the unrest, and this most recent trouble confirms that passions remain high. Thousands flocked to Ambon’s port in an effort to flee the area. Travel to this region with caution.
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Indonesia
By Larry Habegger | Permalink |
No Comments | May 7th, 2002 | Trackback
A peace agreement that had tempered ethnic violence in Maluku province began to crack in recent weeks with further attacks by Muslim militants on Christian communities in Ambon. The attackers have largely been Islamic militant groups from outside the area spurred on by calls of jihad and often given free rein by security personnel. But an outspoken leader of one of the largest militant groups was arrested May 4 for inciting violence after a radio broadcast in which he called on followers to reject the peace agreement. The next day an attack occurred on Christians in Ambon. The arrest may signal a shift in government policy to enforce the peace effort in an area where the residents are tired of the conflict and just want to get on with their lives.
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