Refugees flood Pontianak<\/p>\n
PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan (JP): Over 10,000 Madurese from
\nSambas regency have poured into this city and surrounding areas
\nto escape the violence with local Malays and Dayaks.<\/p>\n
The exodus continued on Tuesday, while over 13,000 people in
\nthe Pemangkat coastal sub-district of Sambas were waiting to be
\nevacuated.<\/p>\n
Many of the refugees entering the provincial capital were
\naccommodated in the Pangsuma sports stadium (around 5,000
\nrefugees) and a haj dormitory (around 3,200 refugees). Hundreds
\nmore were sheltering in nearby military barracks.<\/p>\n
Over 1,400 others were staying in the Wajo area in Siantan
\nsubdistrict, some 20 kilometers north of here.<\/p>\n
Antara reported that about 1,500 more were stranded in a
\nmilitary air base in the inland sub-district of Sanggau Ledo.<\/p>\n
Six Hercules military aircraft took off from the Halim
\nPerdanakusuma air base in Jakarta, carrying a 745 security
\nreinforcement troops, on the orders of Armed Forces Chief of
\nGeneral Affairs Lt. Gen. Sugiono.<\/p>\n
There are over 2,000 police and military personnel already
\nposted in the regency of 800,000 people.<\/p>\n
\"Your first task is to stop the riots, then to crack down on
\nthose who break the law,\" Sugiono told members from the police's
\nMobile Brigade unit, the Army's Strategic Reserves Command, the
\nMarines and the Air Force's Special Force.<\/p>\n
Expecting health hazards to occur following the massive flow
\nof refugees in West Kalimantan, Minister of Health Faried A.
\nMoeloek said on Tuesday he had sent medical supplies and workers
\nto the province.<\/p>\n
No fatal clashes were reported on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
But AP reported from Simpang Monterado village in Sanggau Ledo
\non Tuesday that warning shots were fired to stop hundreds of
\narmed Dayaks from attacking Madurese.<\/p>\n
The angry Dayaks, carrying spears, swords and homemade guns,
\ndemanded that the security authorities hand over the terrified
\nMadurese.<\/p>\n
Soldiers with automatic rifles fired volleys of gunshots to
\ndisperse the mob, and drove off in a convoy of trucks with a
\ndozen Madurese sheltering beneath a tarpaulin.<\/p>\n
There were no reports of injuries. Some Dayak fighters were
\nstopped, but released after being disarmed.<\/p>\n
No update on fatalities was available from Pontianak
\nauthorities, but an official at the Sambas administration in
\nSingkawang said more bodies had been found, bringing the
\nestimated death toll to 180.<\/p>\n
\"Not all of these are Madurese. Some are Malays,\" office
\nspokesman I. Libertus Ahie, who is also a respected Dayak leader
\nin the regency, said.<\/p>\n
He took the chance to clarify media reports that recent West
\nKalimantan's carnage was due to a conflict between Madurese and
\nDayaks.<\/p>\n
\"This is purely Madurese versus Malays. Dayaks are involved
\nonly as individuals, not as a whole ... they are the Dayaks who
\nare married to Malays and joined the battles simply out of
\nsolidarity with their Malay relatives,\" Libertus said.<\/p>\n
In West Kalimantan, Madurese make up 2 percent of the total
\npopulation of four million. Before the massive evacuation, they
\ncomprised eight percent of the Sambas population of 800,000.<\/p>\n
Libertus also warned security personnel against repressing
\nvillagers, saying negotiations with Malay and Dayak elders were
\nbeginning to bear fruit.<\/p>\n
He suggested all Madurese leave the regency \"until we restore
\norder here\". Otherwise, he said, the carnage would continue.<\/p>\n
Libertus lashed out at Jakarta politicians, mentioning
\nAbdurrahman Wahid, who said former president Soeharto's followers
\nwere behind the unrest, and observers who said social jealousy
\nprovoked the Malays to attack Madurese.<\/p>\n
\"No, it was simply because of their long-resented behavior,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
They failed to adapt to the local culture, Libertus said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, from the East Java capital of Surabaya on Tuesday,
\ntwo respected Madurese figures -- Naruddin A. Rahman and Fuad
\nAmin Imron -- urged President B.J. Habibie and ABRI Commander
\nGen. Wiranto to protect the Madurese.<\/p>\n
\"The government and ABRI must investigate the case thoroughly.
\nI call on all Madurese in East Java not to be agitated (to
\nretaliate),\" Imron said. (nur\/35\/aan)<\/p>",
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