Kalimantan unrest is over, says Feisal

Kalimantan unrest is over, says Feisal

JAKARTA (JP): Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung said
yesterday the bloody ethnic conflict in West Kalimantan was
officially over since leaders of the warring parties had signed a
peace treaty Tuesday.

"All parties have to uphold the accord and abide by the
prevailing laws," Feisal said yesterday after checking on the
military's preparations for the May 29 general election.

As normalcy returns to West Kalimantan, the authorities are
continuing to investigate who should be held responsible and what
the final death toll is, he said.

Feisal also clarified a senior army officer's earlier
statement that the death toll in the ethnic conflict between the
indigenous Dayaks and migrants from Madura was 300.

"That figure is not correct," he said but declined to give his
estimate on the grounds that the investigation was still ongoing.

The unrest broke out in late December and ceased after both
communities agreed to a truce. But it flared again on Jan. 29
after the Dayaks accused the migrants of attacking a dormitory.

Feisal said the authorities had checked on Army Chief Gen.
Hartono's reports that the second bout of unrest had been
instigated by several people from East Java who went to West
Kalimantan to add fuel to the conflict.

The army identified two of the suspects as Amin Imron and
Abdullah Schal. Both are highly respected Moslem preachers from
Madura. They are senior activists of the United Development
Party.

The authorities have looked into the report but there has been
nothing to suggest they incited the riot, Feisal said.

In an unexpected twist, Hartono declared in Surabaya yesterday
that the controversy surrounding his allegation was closed
because he accepted that the Madurese ulemas went to West
Kalimantan "for a good purpose."

Hartono, who also hails from Madura, said Amin and Abdullah
would not be taken to court.

"In the future, if they have good intentions to help restore
order they should forward their ideas to the local military
commander," he said.

Meanwhile, life in the capital Pontianak returned to normal
yesterday.

A resident told The Jakarta Post the number of casualties and
material losses to property from the latest clash in Sungai
Kunyit district, 56 kilometers north of Pontianak, was unclear.
Officials were unavailable for confirmation.

Both military and Dayak checkpoints remained in force in
nearby subdistricts, he said. (imn/01/pan)