Reinforcements arrive in Pontianak<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The National Police dispatched on Friday
\nreinforcement troops to West Kalimantan's troubled capital of
\nPontianak and took stricter measures to quell the ongoing
\ninterethnic clashes there.<\/p>\n
National Police Chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro said in Surabaya
\nthat one battalion of Police's Mobile Brigade departed from
\nJakarta on Friday for Pontianak with a mission to help local
\nsecurity authorities restore order and disarm the warring groups.<\/p>\n
The elite police reinforcements arrived at Supadio airport in
\nthe afternoon.<\/p>\n
The additional personnel will join forces with hundreds of
\nlocal police and Army, Marine and Air Force personnel who have
\nalready been deployed to the equatorial city.<\/p>\n
Bimantoro likened the latest communal conflicts in Pontianak
\nwith those of other provinces, saying the upsurge of violence is
\nprobably rooted in past social problems which have not been
\nproperly addressed.<\/p>\n
\"What happened in West Kalimantan indicates that there are
\nproblems which need to be settled at once. Most of them require
\nhelp from experts from other institutions. That is why we will
\nestablish coordination with related institutions,\" he was quoted
\nby Antara as saying.<\/p>\n
Bimantoro was in Surabaya to induct East Java Police chief
\nInsp. Gen. Sutanto, who replaced Insp. Gen. Da'i Bachtiar.<\/p>\n
At least six people have been killed after three days of
\nclashes involving indigenous Malays and migrant settlers of
\ndifferent ethnic origins. The clashes were sparked by a dispute
\nbetween a migrant driver and an indigenous motorcyclist.<\/p>\n
Bimantoro said the police have arrested 14 people for their
\nalleged involvement in the conflict.<\/p>\n
In Pontianak, West Kalimantan Police chief Brig. Gen. Atok
\nRismanto issued a shoot-on-site order as hostilities continued on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
He held a closed-door meeting with Governor Aspar Aswin and
\nPontianak Military Commander Col. Sumurung Simanjuntak. Also
\npresent was operational assistant to the National Police Maj.
\nGen. Sutiono.<\/p>\n
Aswar expressed his disappointment on Thursday over local
\ncommunity leaders' failures to maintain security and calm the
\nangry residents.<\/p>\n
He added that he had asked local security authorities to
\nproperly handle the unrest to prevent it from spreading to other
\nareas.<\/p>\n
While suspecting the presence of provocateurs behind the
\nviolence, Aswin blamed the clashes on misunderstandings between
\nthe two warring communities. He said both groups had accepted
\nunreliable information, which eventually pitted one against the
\nother.<\/p>\n
Tension remained high on Friday, with people seen massing at a
\nnumber of locations, namely Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan, Jl. Gusti
\nSitu Mahmud, Jl. 28 Oktober, Tanjung Raya area, Jl. Tanjungpura,
\nJeruju and Sungai Jawi areas.<\/p>\n
The crowds, armed with various sharp weapons and homemade
\nrifles, also set up roadblocks.<\/p>\n
Heavily armed security personnel were on duty at all the hot
\nspots to prevent further violence. Several tanks and armored
\nvehicles were also present.<\/p>\n
Angry migrants attacked and set fire to at least six kiosks
\nbelonging to indigenous residents on Jl. Merdeka and Jl. Hasyim
\non Thursday night, an apparent retaliation for the burning of
\ndozens of kiosks belonging to migrants earlier in the day.<\/p>\n
Security personnel were forced to fire warning shots to
\ndisperse crowds at the Jl. 28 Oktober and Jl. Gusti Situ Mahmud
\ncrossroad on Friday morning.<\/p>\n
As of Thursday evening the fighting had claimed at least six
\nlives and at least 10 people have been injured.<\/p>\n
Public transportation has not operated since the clashes
\nerupted on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Months of interethnic clashes rocked West Kalimantan town of
\nSambas in 1997, leaving hundreds dead. (edi\/lup)<\/p>",
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