Eight injured in Dayak rally

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)