Tobelo

Tobelo
Town
Protestant Church in Tobelo, dated 1924.
Tobelo Location of the town in Halmahera
Coordinates: 1°43′55″N 128°0′28″E / 1.73194°N 128.00778°E / 1.73194; 128.00778Coordinates: 1°43′55″N 128°0′28″E / 1.73194°N 128.00778°E / 1.73194; 128.00778
Country	Indonesia
Province	North Maluku
Island	Halmahera
Regency	North Halmahera
Population
• Total	15,000
Time zone	WIB (UTC+7)

Tobelo is a town and also a district on the eastern Indonesian island of Halmahera. It is the capital of the regency (kabupaten) of North Halmahera, part of the province of North Maluku. The city was formalised as the capital of North Halmahera in the district elections held in 2004. It is considered as the best town in the regency in view of its coconut palm studded surroundings "fronted by jigsaw of islands". It has a population of approximately 33,700. A palm tree lined coastal road connects Tobelo to Galela. The town is predominantly Christian and a Protestant Church has existed in Tobelo since at least 1924.

Muslims and Christians had lived amicably in this town of North Halmahera from the 16th century. However, North Maluku province has a Muslim majority. The coastal road from Galela to Tobelo passes through neighboring Muslim and Christian villages. Living peacefully, these two communities followed the local cultural tradition of the Hibua Lamo (a pact between Muslims and Christians to live together without aggressive designs on each other and cooperating on all matters of mutual interest).

Violence broke out in Tobelo in December 1999. According to Duncan (2001), the roots of the conflict "focused on plans by the regional government to create a new district (kecamatan) of Makian Daratan from the southern half of the Kao District." Initial reconciliation efforts at the district level worked for some time in preventing any clashes and assuage hurt feelings. The religious violence, which simmered in January 1999 in Ambon culminated in rioting in Tobelo by end of December 1999. This rioting was further triggered by the fleeing of several thousand Christians from Central Halmahera, and Tobelo had turned into a refugee camp. Though the rioting has been quelled, the mistrust between the two communities prevails. Galela District with its own language is another place where remnants of strife (burnt out churches and mosques) between the religious groups are still seen with military checkposts established to prevent any further disturbances in the region. In the ultimate analysis, it is reported that the sectarian violence in 1999–2000 had resulted in 2000 Muslim deaths in Maluku and a population displacement of 200,000 Muslim people in the region. Tobelo was the worst affected as over 100,000 Muslim people were from Tobelo and villages to its south, who fled to the island of Ternate and Morotai during early 2000. Nearly 70% of them returned subsequently as the situation was controlled. However, as a result of violence in 1999–2000, the area is clearly demarcated into Muslim and Christian villages. Tobelo is now almost entirely Christian; while Muslims have fled to nearby villages. Remnants of devastation are still evident. There is a discerned process of peace building emerging between the two communities now.