Police arrest 'mastermind' of riot in Sampit<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Police on Tuesday arrested a local government
\nofficial, described as one of the two masterminds of the ethnic
\nriot in Sampit, Central Kalimantan, which has now claimed 17
\nlives.<\/p>\n
National Police Chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro said the suspect
\nwas an official at the local office of the Ministry of Forestry,
\nand not the office head as reported earlier.<\/p>\n
\"We're still hunting for the other suspect,\" Bimantoro told
\nreporters on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Bimantoro had placed blame for the Sampit riot on two local
\nofficials who had both been recently disappointed by losing their
\njobs and incited a riot as a means of regaining their
\nprofessional positions.<\/p>\n
He said the two men were believed to have paid six men Rp 20
\nmillion to provoke Sunday's riot.<\/p>\n
Antara reported on Tuesday, that the other suspect still at
\nlarge was an official at the local administration's development
\noffice.<\/p>\n
The latest ethnic violence is believed to have been an attempt
\nto pit migrant Madura settlers and local Dayak ethnics in Sampit,
\nlocated about 214 kilometers west of the province's capital
\nPalangka Raya.<\/p>\n
Ethnic tension has been a cause of concern in Kalimantan for
\nseveral years.<\/p>\n
An ethnic riot in Sambas regency, West Kalimantan, left
\nhundreds dead in 1997.<\/p>\n
In December intercommunal conflict erupted about 100
\nkilometers from Sampit leaving at least one dead.<\/p>\n
Although Bimantoro reiterated that the situation in Sampit was
\nunder control, tensions reportedly remain high with the death
\ntoll reaching 17 as new bodies are found.<\/p>\n
At least three houses belonging to migrant settlers in Parit
\nvillage, some 78 kilometers from Sampit, were burned by mobs on
\nTuesday.<\/p>\n
Reported sweeps of migrants were also reportedly taking place
\nforcing thousands to flee the area.<\/p>\n
Using dozens of trucks and buses, the migrants sought shelter
\nin Palangka Raya. Many are staying at Central Kalimantan's
\ngovernor's office and the provincial police headquarters.<\/p>\n
Many of those seeking shelter in Palangka Raya were reportedly
\ncivil servants and their families who had been assigned to the
\nSampit area.<\/p>\n
Another group of migrants, mostly Javanese, decided to travel
\neast towards the town of Pangkalan Bun and from there headed to
\nKumai harbor where they plan to take a boat back to Java. (jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/police-arrest-mastermind-of-riot-in-sampit-1447893297",
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