Communal clash kills one

Communal clash kills one

PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan: Tension weighed heavily on parts
of the city Wednesday after two groups of people of different
ethnic origins clashed near Kapuas bridge, leaving a man killed
and three others injured.

Dozens of police and soldiers were dispatched to Kampung Dalam
and its neighboring hamlet of Bugis near the bridge after people
living in the densely populated areas were seen massing. Rival
groups in Siantan hamlet followed suit, assembling just a few
hundreds meters apart before the clash erupted.

Misadin, 40, a local resident, was stabbed to death in the
fray, while Abdul Hadi wounded his ear. The warring groups also
injured two security personnel.

The security personnel fired warning shots to disperse the
crowds, but at 6 p.m. local time tension remained high.

Witnesses said the incident was sparked by a morning fight
between a bus driver and a motorcyclist of different ethnic
origins at the bridge.

Shops along the main streets of Jl. Tanjungpura and Jl.
Veteran were closed, as was access to the town, due to fears that
the altercation would provoke widespread communal clashes, Antara
reported. (amd)