Ethnic brawls in West Kalimantan still going on

Ethnic brawls in West Kalimantan still going on

JAKARTA (JP): Brawls between Madurese migrants and locals in
Kereng Pangi area, Katingan Hilir district, Kotawaringin regency,
Central Kalimantan, continued on Sunday as four buses were set on
fire.

The buses of P.O. Maduratna Perdana, belonging to a Madurese
businessman, were burned by angry residents as they passed the
area.

Although the bus passengers were safe, the fate of the drivers
is unknown. One of the drivers was rumored to have been brutally
killed by the residents, but no confirmation could be obtained.

Central Kalimantan Deputy Police chief Sr. Supt. M. Djatmiko
denied that any fatalities occurred in the burning of the buses.

He was quoted by Antara as saying that police had urged bus
drivers to avoid the area. However, these warnings went unheeded.

"Actually, we had blocked the entry ways to Kereng Pangi from
Palangkaraya and Sampit. But the buses forced their way into the
area."

Sunday's incident was a continuation of unrest which erupted
the previous day and left at least one person dead.

Unrest broke out on Saturday as about 100 ethnic Dayak
reportedly attacked the houses of migrants in Kereng Pangi, 100
kilometers southwest of Palangkaraya, the capital of Central
Kalimantan.

The attackers burned 20 houses belonging to migrants, two cars
and a motorcycle. They looted and destroyed several stores and
stalls belonging to migrants at the Kereng Pangi market.

They also burned down four karaoke halls.

The attack on the migrants was allegedly triggered by a brawl
on Friday night between three migrants and a Dayak man named
Sendong, 36, at a prostitution complex 19 kilometers from Kereng
Pangi.

Sendong was killed in the brawl.

Central Kalimantan Deputy Governor Nashon Taway, accompanied
by three leading Dayak figures, M. Usop, Sabran Ahmad and Simal
Penyang, went to the site to calm the angry residents.

Imil, who led the attack, said the residents were angry over
the unsolved murder of several Dayak people.

"We (Dayak) can no longer be patient because the police have
yet to arrest the suspects of these murders," he said.

Djatmiko said he had deployed two companies of police officers
to prevent another brawl.

"We have identified the three men who killed Sendong and the
police are trying to track them down," he said.

About 400 people took refuge at the police headquarters
because of the brawl, but half of them have been picked up by
relatives on Sunday.

Ethic brawls between Madurese and local residents, especially
Dayak and Malays, have occurred repeatedly since 1997 in West
Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan.

Hundreds of people, mostly Madurese, were killed and thousands
became refugees due to the brawls. Many of the refugees have
returned to their home island of Madura, East Java.

Many believe that the brawls were mainly triggered by social
jealousy among locals upon seeing the Madurese migrants economic
success. (01/jun)