Situation back to normal in Central Kalimantan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The security situation in Kumai district, West
\nKotawaringin regency in Central Kalimantan province gradually
\nreturned to normal on Monday following outbreaks of interethnic
\nviolence on Saturday during which two people were killed.<\/p>\n
Antara stated that local residents had resumed their daily
\nactivities and markets and several shops were open for business.<\/p>\n
Security forces were also seen patrolling several locations
\nsuch as the border between Kumai and its neighboring districts.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile local residents also guarded their residences in
\nanticipation of further clashes.<\/p>\n
Spokesman of the Central Kalimantan Police Comr. Anjan Putra
\nconfirmed that the security situation in Kumai and other
\ndistricts in West Kotawaringin regency had returned to normal.<\/p>\n
However, he said security personnel still continued their
\nraids on illegal weapons.<\/p>\n
Anjan also said there was only one fatality during the
\nincident while two other people were injured.<\/p>\n
He identified the victim as Tahlim bin Kalsan, 80, and the two
\nwounded as M. Yusuf, 55, and Siman, 47.<\/p>\n
\"Preliminary police investigations show that the victims tried
\nto defend their house when a group of people attempted to set the
\nhouse on fire,\" Anjan said.<\/p>\n
The police officer however, also speculated that a certain
\ngroup of Dayak people were still seeking out Madurese settlers in
\nthe area.<\/p>\n
\"The group has been identified but is now at large,\" Anjan
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
A staff member of a local hospital earlier had revealed that
\nat least two people had been killed during the violence in Kumai.
\nThe official even insisted the death toll might even reach seven
\nalthough only two bodies were sent to the hospital for postmortem
\nexaminations.<\/p>\n
Separately, West Kotawaringin Regent Abdul Razak, in his
\nreport to the Central Kalimantan governor, explained that the
\nincident in Kumai occurred on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. and
\ncontinued until around 3 a.m. on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Refugees<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in Palu, Central Sulawesi, at least 8,000 of more
\nthan 19,500 refugees refused to return to their homes over
\nsecurity fears.<\/p>\n
\"They decided not to come back because their homes had been
\nburned down and their farmland damaged and also because of their
\ntraumatic experience,\" Yus Mangun, the head of the Poso refugees
\naid center said, as quoted by Antara on Monday.<\/p>\n
Most of the refugees who refused to return home were migrants
\nwho had been residing in the regency since 1990s to open rice
\nfields and plantations as part of the government's regional
\ndevelopment program.<\/p>\n
The ethnic riots that have brought unrest to the regency since
\nDecember 1998, had claimed at least 2,000 lives and had destroyed
\nmore than 4,000 buildings, according to local researcher Sulaiman
\nMamar.<\/p>\n
Acting Poso police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Djasman Baso Opu said
\nthere were minor incidents in the regency during the day,
\nincluding attacks by unidentified people against
\nresidents.(emf\/bby)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/situation-back-to-normal-in-central-kalimantan-1447893297",
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