Eight injured in Dayak rally

PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan: At least eight people were injured when police opened fire on some 300 Dayaks who attacked the provincial legislature on Monday.

Seven protesters suffered gunshot wounds and a policeman was stabbed in the clash sparked by the tribesmen's protest over the unfair ethnic composition of local representatives in the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

It was the second protest on the issue in less than a week. Nobody was hurt in a protest on Oct. 6 in which a mob of local residents vandalized the legislative building to protest the election of three Malays, a Dayak and a Chinese-Indonesian to the MPR.

Legislators subsequently changed the lineup by transferring to the Dayak community one of the seats allocated for a Malay representative.

But the Dayaks renewed their protest after learning that the five representatives named earlier were already in Jakarta to attend the MPR General Session.

Police officers appeared taken aback when the protesters were not cowed by the release of tear gas. Dozens of people were arrested following the commotion. (amd)