Fire destroys Sampit market

PALANGKARAYA, Central Kalimantan (JP): Fire destroyed the biggest traditional market in the blood-drenched town of Sampit in Central Kalimantan on Wednesday, where otherwise the situation had been gradually calming down after eleven days of mayhem which claimed the lives of hundreds of Madurese migrants.

There was no official statement as to how the fire started but rumors had it that it was the result of an arson attack. Witnesses said that the fire started among the vacant kiosks that had been looted during previous clashes.

The authorities speculated that the fire was started to exacerbate the situation in the town.

No fatalities were reported but the fire, which broke out at about 6 p.m., destroyed hundreds of kiosks.

Despite the fire, Sampit, and also the Central Kalimantan capital of Palangkaraya, were reasonably calm on Wednesday.

The corpses of the dead have mostly been buried in a mass grave in Sampit. However, there was still tension in the air while the number of security forces personnel on the streets and in public places was less than in previous days following the gunfight between police and Army troops at the town's port on Tuesday.

Twelve bodies were buried in a plot of land belonging to Madurese H. Nur on Jl. Raya Pangkalan Bun, 13.8 kilometers west of Sampit, bringing the total number of victims buried there to 121.

In an effort to maintain order, the Tanjung Pura Military Commander Maj. Gen. Djoko Besariman said that his men would shoot rioters on sight in both Sampit and Palangkaraya.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in Jakarta that, based on reports from the provincial police chief and governor, Palangkaraya was gradually returning to normal.

However, reports from Palangkaraya said that eleven homemade bombs were found in separate vacant buildings on Jl. Dr. Murjani. Nine of the bombs were found in a deserted shop which had been burned down some days ago while the other two were found in an Islamic school on Wednesday.

Quoting National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro from Sampit, Susilo told a House of Representatives' hearing that no fresh violence had taken place. Some shops were open but offices and schools were still closed.

He said the government had yet to decide whether to declare a state of civil emergency in Sampit, following the killing of more than 300 Madurese allegedly by members of the province's Dayak community.

Bimantoro's evaluation was that the situation in the riot-torn area was improving, adding that a civil emergency could be imposed if the clashes continued and the civilian administration was no longer capable of functioning.

Minister of Defense Mahfud M.D. said in Abuja, Nigeria on Tuesday that President Abdurrahman Wahid had rejected the imposition of a civil emergency in Sampit and Palangkaraya "as the local military commanders are still able to maintain order." Mahfud is accompanying Abdurrahman on his overseas trip.

House Speaker Akbar Tandjung said during the hearing with Susilo in Jakarta on Wednesday that what was happening in Sampit and Palangkaraya was an ethnic conflict between the indigenous Dayaks and Madurese migrants rather than a sectarian clash.

Megawati

Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri is scheduled to visit Sampit today to see for herself what has been going on.

Akbar said the House appreciated Megawati's plan, adding that several House members were ready to accompany her.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) chairman Achmad Djojosugito demanded security guarantees on Wednesday for the medical personnel assigned to help the victims of violence in Sampit and Palangkaraya.

"Given the unstable security situation in the field, we have no other choice but to ask for assurances, not only for the doctors and paramedics but also those transporting medical supplies," he told The Jakarta Post after attending a hearing with the House.

He also warned of possible outbreaks of epidemics as there were now up to 15,000 refugees in Sampit with another 11,000 predicted to soon emerge from their hiding places in the jungle.

"These figures do not include some 11,000 refugees from Central Kalimantan who have sought refuge in East Java.

Two more doctors and four paramedics from the state Cipto Mangunkusumo hospital in Jakarta were being flown in to assist Sampit's 12 doctors, he said.

Minister of Health and Social Welfare Achmad Sujudi said on Wednesday that the riots in Central Kalimantan were the result of prolonged economic and social disparities between different groups in the community.

"This is an expensive lesson that we have to learn for allowing unbalanced development to take place in the region," Sujudi said, adding that his ministry was paying Rp 1 billion per day to support some 1.1 million internally displaced persons (IDP) across the country.

Five refugees, two of them children, have already died in the makeshift Sampit camps from diarrhea, AFP reported.

"They're suffering from diarrhea, some have already contracted typhoid, and if it's not dealt with properly there will be a massive outbreak," said Qomaruddin Sukhami, district health officer in Sampit.

Some aid -- in the form of rice, noodles, fruit, sardines, medicine and water -- has been provided by the Indonesian Red Cross, the provincial government, local residents and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

"We still need antibiotics, anesthetics, more food and more water," Qomaruddin said, adding that they had no disinfectant or bedding. (team)