Sambas tragedy leaves 165 dead<\/p>\n
PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan (JP): The official death toll in
\nweeklong clashes between local residents and migrant Madurese in
\nSambas regency reached 165 on Monday, as the military dispatched
\nmore troops to deal with the unrest.<\/p>\n
Latest data from the command post of the Natural Disaster
\nManagement Coordination Board at the provincial administration
\noffice were made available to The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, the Armed Forces (ABRI) dispatched reinforcements,
\nnumbering between 750 and 1,000 troops, to the province to
\nsupport the existing 2,000 personnel.<\/p>\n
Chief of Tanjungpura Military Command overseeing Kalimantan
\nMaj. Gen. Zainuri Hasyim, who attended the sending-off ceremony
\nfor the troops, said the deployment would help prevent the
\nclashes from spreading.<\/p>\n
Officiating at the ceremony were ABRI's chief of general
\naffairs Lt. Gen. Sugiono and territorial chief Lt. Gen. Susilo
\nBambang Yudhoyono.<\/p>\n
Antara reported on Monday that the control of the security
\nforces -- including those of the police's Mobile Brigade, Army's
\nStrategic Reserves Command, Air Force's Special Force and the
\nNavy's marines -- were handed over from the Sambas police chief
\nto the local military chief.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, refugees, mostly women and children, continued to
\npour into the provincial capital on tightly guarded land and
\nriver transportation. Official estimates put their number at from
\n8,000 to 12,000.<\/p>\n
Suara Pembaruan afternoon daily on Monday quoted West
\nKalimantan Police chief Col. Chaerul Rasyidi's request to ABRI to
\ndispatch a Hercules military plane to help evacuate the Madurese.<\/p>\n
However, Sambas does not have an airport which can accommodate
\nsuch a large aircraft.<\/p>\n
Many of the Madurese refugees have taken shelter in
\nPontianak's Pangsuma indoor stadium. Others are accommodated in a
\nlocal haj dormitory and military barracks.<\/p>\n
Refugees complained they were victimized for the misdeeds of
\nothers.<\/p>\n
"The mean, the bad and those who caused the trouble come from
\nother villages. Why must we take the brunt?" Muhammad Said, 41,
\ntold Antara.<\/p>\n
A resident of Pemangkat subdistrict, one of the most heavily
\naffected subdistricts, said the situation remained tense on
\nMonday although no fresh violence was reported.<\/p>\n
"Armed villagers are still patrolling day and night ... so are
\nsoldiers and police," Yati, a phone operator, told the Post.<\/p>\n
"No more Madurese here," she added.<\/p>\n
Maj. Gen. Zainuri told private television station SCTV that
\nsecurity personnel would crack down on the mobs, including
\nthrough confiscating their weapons.<\/p>\n
Responding to the new military directive, Sambas traditional
\nMalayan monarch Raden Winata Kusuma told Antara that the measure
\nwould not provide a lasting end to the troubles.<\/p>\n
"The most effective measure is to evacuate all Madurese from
\nthe regency," he said.<\/p>\n
In a live phone interview with SCTV, the province's governor
\nAspar Aswin said the government should call on informal community
\nleaders for help in solving the conflicts.<\/p>\n
Priority also should be to get the Madurese to safety, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Dayaks<\/p>\n
Edi Petebang of Kalimantan Review weekly said the clashes were
\nmainly between Malays and Madurese.<\/p>\n
He said a small number of Dayaks became involved in Samalantan
\nand Sanggau Ledo subdistricts only after a Dayak man was
\nallegedly murdered by a mob of Madurese last Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Unrest swept at least six remote villages of Tebas, Pemangkat,
\nJawai, Selakau, Sanggau Ledo and Samalantan.<\/p>\n
Reports said thousands of Madurese were in hiding in forests.<\/p>\n
Petebang, a Dayak, also said there was as yet no display of
\nthe Mangkok Merah (red bowl), the tribespeople's "formal" calling
\nfor all of its members to join a conflict.<\/p>\n
During clashes in early 1997, most Dayaks of all ages
\nunderwent a special rite called triu, in which they were
\nreportedly put into a trance to enable them to easily find their
\nenemies.<\/p>\n
Suara Pembaruan also quoted on Monday an influential Dayak
\nelder, Nazarius, who confirmed the traditional Dayak call to
\nbattle.<\/p>\n
However, he said people today were ignorant of their elders'
\nteachings. He cautioned the security personnel would have to
\nbring the situation under control.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, politician Abdurrahman Wahid stated the Sambas
\ntragedy was part of a chain of unrest caused by a particular
\npolitical group seeking to foment instability to maintain the
\nstatus quo.<\/p>\n
ABRI Commander Gen. Wiranto, who is also the Minister of
\nDefense and Security, urged members of the public not to comment
\non recent disturbances without an understanding of their causes.<\/p>\n
Wiranto said ABRI's main task was to contain the spread of the
\nunrest.<\/p>\n
In Surabaya, 25 members of the Madurese Islamic Youths
\nMovement were sent to West Kalimantan to help solve the dispute.<\/p>\n
Group chairman Rifai Abdullah said he would tell his fellow
\nMadurese in the province to always maintain a sense of
\nbrotherhood with members of local ethnic groups. (edt\/35\/aan)<\/p>\n
Editorial -- Page 4<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sambas-tragedy-leaves-165-dead-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }