Gus Dur continues overseas trip despite Sampit rage

Gus Dur continues overseas trip despite Sampit rage

By Budiman Moerdijat

CAIRO (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid said here on Monday
that he would continue his two-week overseas trip despite the
bloody ethnic pogrom raging in Central Kalimantan.

Abdurrahman said he had already consulted with Coordinating
Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono and National Police chief Surojo Bimantoro on
whether or not he should cut short his peregrinations, "but they
both said that I should continue my trip."

He said that he had consulted both of them after he had
received calls from Indonesia urging him to return.

When pressed to disclose the names of those who had been
calling on him to cut short his trip, Abdurrahman said : "There
were several, but I can't disclose there names to you."

Citing reports from Susilo and Surojo, Abdurrahman said that
the situation in Sampit, where a week of murderous attacks,
mostly perpetrated by ethnic Dayaks on Madurese settlers, have
left at least 300 dead, was now "fully under control".

"Both said the most critical time in Sampit had passed and
that the security forces were already there to restore order, and
that two battalions of Army Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad)
troops were also on their way," Abdurrahman told reporters
traveling with the presidential entourage.

He admitted, however, that he had been "a bit concerned" with
the violence.

"I would, therefore, like to convey my condolences to the
families of the victims and my deepest sympathy to those who have
had to flee the violence," Abdurrahman said referring to the
chaotic evacuation of some 24,000 Madurese refugees.

Abdurrahman has been under mounting criticism back home for
leaving behind the Sampit violence.

The President then accused the media of "exaggerating" and
said that media reports of decapitated corpses lying on the
streets of Sampit were untrue.

"There is an attempt to blow the violence out of all
proportion ... in Sampit the death toll is 191 and it is not true
that bodies were found lying in the streets," Abdurrahman said.

He added, however, that Susilo told him that "two headless
bodies" had been found when he visited Sampit on Sunday.

Cooperation

Commenting on his talks with Egyptian President Husni Mubarak
earlier in the day, Abdurrahman said the two had discussed the
stalled Middle East peace talks and how to further expand
cooperation between Jakarta and Cairo.

Abdurrahman is scheduled to leave for Nigeria on Tuesday
morning to meet with Nigerian President Olusegun Abasanjo. From
there he will fly to Sudan for the next leg of his foreign tour
which will include a Haj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

He is not expected to return to Jakarta until March 7.