Violence clashes continue in Tual and Singkawang<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): More violence shook the Maluku town of Tual and
\nthe West Kalimantan town of Singkawang, claiming at least five
\nlives on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The latest fatalities bring the death toll in Maluku in the
\nlast few days to over 55.<\/p>\n
Warring groups in Tual, some 540 kilometers southeast of the
\nMaluku capital of Ambon, continued their clashes despite the
\npresence of the chief of the Trikora military command overseeing
\nIrian Jaya and Maluku, Maj. Gen. Amir Sembiring.<\/p>\n
Amir visited the volatile Kai islands to call on the warring
\ngroups to show restraint and put an end to almost a week of
\nbloody clashes. He was accompanied by Maluku Military Commander
\nCol. Karel Ralahalu and Southeast Maluku military chief Lt. Col.
\nEry Susanto.<\/p>\n
Aka Roroa, a member of the riot monitoring post at Al Huria
\nMosque in Tual, told The Jakarta Post that Amir reiterated the
\nmilitary's shoot-on-sight order, banned people from assembling in
\nlarge groups and urged warring groups to lay their weapons down.<\/p>\n
No curfew was established for the town, according to Roroa,
\nbut Tual resembled a ghost town as night fell.<\/p>\n
Roroa said four people died of gunshot wounds after police
\nopened fire on a group of Muslim youths attempting to attack a
\nChristian neighborhood. Another 17 people were injured.<\/p>\n
The four youths were buried in Al Huria's compound.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Antara reported that Paulus Wadaubun died on Monday
\nevening of stab wounds to his stomach suffered during a clash on
\nThursday last week. Paulus was being treated at Hati Kudus
\nLanggur Hospital.<\/p>\n
Clashes between Muslims and Christians erupted in Tual
\nfollowing the discovery of graffiti defaming Islam in Wearhir on
\nMarch 28. The violence broke out just as Maluku was beginning to
\nrecover from sectarian clashes which killed nearly 200 people in
\nAmbon.<\/p>\n
There were no signs of business or social activities in Tual
\nas of Tuesday, according to Roroa.<\/p>\n
He said the number of refugees taking shelter in Navy,
\nmilitary and police buildings, and schools surpassed 10,000.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Antara reported that Tual's general hospital has
\nbegun to run out of supplies.<\/p>\n
The head of the Army medical team posted at the hospital, Lt.
\nCol. Michael K, said the hospital badly needed fresh supplies of
\npenicillin, Betadine, infusion liquid and antibiotics to treat
\nthose wounded in the clashes.<\/p>\n
He said the hospital only had six general practitioners and
\nspecialists. The Army headquarters soon will send 33 more
\ndoctors, including four specialists, from the University of
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
In Ambon, Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina asked Armed Forces
\nCommander Gen. Wiranto to allow a special military task force to
\nextend its stay in the province until the situation returns to
\nnormal.<\/p>\n
The 19-strong team of officers hailing from Maluku, headed by
\nthe chief of the Wirabuana military command overseeing Sulawesi,
\nMaj. Gen. Suaidi Marasabessy, is scheduled to end its mission in
\nthe province on April 7.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in West Kalimantan's Sambas regency, renewed ethnic
\nviolence pitting Malays and Dayaks against Madurese resumed in
\nthe early hours of Monday, after over a week of calm.<\/p>\n
No casualties were reported in the violence which erupted in
\nthe village of We Sungai Bulan, Singkawang mayoralty, Tujuhbelas
\ndistrict.<\/p>\n
West Kalimantan Police chief Col. Chaerul Rasyidi told Antara
\nMonday night the police had detained 56 people suspected of being
\ninvolved in the clash.<\/p>\n
The violence reportedly involved hundreds of villagers from
\nthe districts of Selakau, Tebas and Pemangkat who attacked
\nMadurese taking refuge in Singkawang.<\/p>\n
According to Chaerul, the attackers apparently were attempting
\nto expel the Madurese from the regency, which saw more than 200
\npeople killed during the recent unrest.<\/p>\n
Over a dozen houses were burned during the attack, which
\naccording to the news agency caused the tension to rise in the
\npredominantly Chinese-Indonesian town of Singkawang.<\/p>\n
\"Just try playing tough guy with me. If you do, you'll face
\nthe security apparatus,\" Chaerul was quoted as saying by Antara.<\/p>\n
The attackers allegedly were local Malays and Dayaks, who long
\nhave harbored a resentment toward Madurese.<\/p>\n
Sociologists and Dayak and Malay elders have recommended the
\nlocal government relocate the Madurese from the regency.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in the provincial capital of Pontianak, Deputy
\nGovernor Syarifuddin Lubis said about 40 tons of rice for
\nMadurese refugees in Pontianak and Sambas had been received from
\nEast Java Governor Imam Utomo and four regents from Madura.<\/p>\n
Syarifuddin said the number of refugees in Pontianak was
\naround 25,000, while in Sambas there were more than 8,500
\nrefugees. (aan\/amd)<\/p>",
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