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)