Business as usual in Pontianak, says governor

Business as usual in Pontianak, says governor

JAKARTA (JP): West Kalimantan Governor Aspar Aswin said
yesterday the provincial capital Pontianak had returned to normal
and residents had resumed daily activities.

He refuted reports that the widespread clashes over the past
two months between indigenous Dayaks and migrants from Madura
island in East Java had disrupted the economy and caused food
shortages.

"The situation is fine for residents to return to usual
routines," Aspar said during a break at a meeting of Indonesia's
27 governors at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Staple goods, the distribution of which was interrupted due to
the tense situation following the prolonged ethnic unrest, are
again reaching the regions previously affected by the unrest.

An expert on Dayak culture, Stephanus Djuweng, told The
Jakarta Post that children preparing to return to school on
Thursday from their holidays was the first proof of normalcy in
the province.

Business activities had resumed and residents were again
moving around freely at night, Stephanus said. The curfew was
lifted last week.

Remnants of the tension that gripped the region since late
December are still evident however at military checkpoints.
Security personnel continue to maintain their guard on roads
surrounding Pontianak, with many of them checking residents for
sharp weapons including knives, machetes and traditional swords
from Kalimantan.

Stephanus said that Dayaks and Madurese were no longer
mounting guard their security posts to check one another for
weapons.

He hailed the military efforts to maintain peace in the
province "in the fairest manner possible."

He was unable to confirm the number of people arrested for
their involvement in the riots and clashes or the conditions they
were being held in.

Ethnic clashes erupted and swept through the villages of at
least seven regencies late December, sparked originally by a
brawl during a folk concert between youths over a woman.

Five Dayak people were killed then. A total of 21 people went
missing following the unrest.

The second wave of clashes began in Pontianak and surrounding
areas on Jan. 29, less than a month after the two groups had
agreed to a peace deal.

Local residents said the latest unrest erupted following
reports of an attack by 40 masked men, believed to be Madurese
migrants, on a foundation that manages Catholic schools in the
Siantan Tengah district. The attackers wounded two women living
nearby, damaged school buildings and burned two motorcycles and a
truck inside the foundation compound.

The disputing ethnic groups agreed to end their "battle" last
week, when "leaders" of both ethnic tribes signed a second peace
agreement.

The second agreement failed to stop the two groups from
attacking each other however. Riots went on, especially in West
Kalimantan's hinterlands.

Aspar said yesterday the two ethnic groups were now working on
yet another peace agreement. This time, no government officials
are involved in the process and the agreement is being prepared
solely by the two groups.

"I don't know the content of the agreement. They are making
the arrangements on their own. The local administration is not
involved," he said.

Stephanus called for greater dialog between the two groups,
with the support of formal and informal leaders, to promote
greater understanding of their respective cultures. (imn/01)