Kalimantan Madurese may be resettled<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of Madurese migrants may be moved to
\nanother province in the wake of the recent ethnic clashes in West
\nKalimantan, a cabinet minister said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Minister of Transmigration Siswono Yodohusodo said the
\ngovernment would help resettle the migrants under the state-
\nsponsored transmigration program.<\/p>\n
The transmigrants from Madura island, East Java, were engaged
\nin a series of bloody clashes with indigenous Dayaks earlier this
\nyear. Hundreds of people were believed to have been killed and
\nthousands of houses set on fire.<\/p>\n
After a meeting with President Soeharto at Merdeka Palace,
\nSiswono said the government would help restore 2,000 wrecked
\nhouses belonging to the Madurese and Dayaks.<\/p>\n
Siswono said only seven out of 264 transmigration resettlement
\nunits in West Kalimantan were affected by the riot.<\/p>\n
\"In most resettlement sites, the Dayak and the Madurese people
\nlive well,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"The Dayaks who attacked the seven units came from other
\nareas. In fact the (seven) units were also guarded by Dayak
\nresettlers.\"<\/p>\n
West Kalimantan Governor Aspar Aswin said recently that almost
\n2,500 houses were destroyed and 93 others damaged. This resulted
\nin Rp 13.5 billion (US$5.8 million) in material damage.<\/p>\n
There are currently about 20,000 homeless Madurese with no
\nwhere to go, Gatra magazine reported in its April 12 edition.<\/p>\n
\"Many of them are still traumatic, some could not take it,\"
\nthe magazine quoted Aswin as saying. He added there are places
\nwhere Dayaks could not yet welcome back Madurese.<\/p>\n
Siswono said the transmigration program in West Kalimantan
\nbegan in 1974. Since then, 264 resettlement units have been built
\nand occupied by 85,887 families consisting of 450,000 people.<\/p>\n
Migrants, including those from Madura, constitute 12.5 percent
\nof West Kalimantan's 3.6 million people, according to official
\nstatistics.<\/p>\n
Maj. Gen. Namuri Anoem, Chief of the Tanjungpura military
\ncommand overseeing security in Kalimantan, said yesterday the
\nsituation in the province was under control.<\/p>\n
\"West Kalimantan is safe and ready for next month's general
\nelection,\" he said as quoted by Antara in Samarinda, East
\nKalimantan. (aan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kalimantan-madurese-may-be-resettled-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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