Madurese evacuation to Pontianak suspended

Madurese evacuation to Pontianak suspended

SINGKAWANG, West Kalimantan (JP): As peace and order gradually
returns to Sambas, Regent Tarya Aryanto discontinued the
evacuation of local Madurese refugees to Pontianak, citing the
crowded refugee centers in the provincial capital.

Tarya said the remaining 8,000 Madurese refugees in the
regency would be sheltered in the Pasir Panjang coastal area here
and other as yet undesignated areas.

At least 33,000 Madurese refugees are now sheltering in
Pontianak and the surrounding areas, according to Antara which
quoted data of the coordination post here.

"We'll build more barracks to accommodate the refugees here,"
Tarya said after meeting two visiting members of the National
Commission on Human Rights, Bambang W. Suharto and Soegiri.

In Jakarta, Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces
Commander Gen. Wiranto said the two-week ethnic clashes in Sambas
were over.

"We've relayed to the President and also related ministries to
find ways to help the refugees who are now in need of assistance
and guarantees for a more certain future," he said after opening
a course at the National Resilience Institute.

West Kalimantan Police chief Col. Chaerul Rasyidi, said the
situation in the regency was improving gradually. He said 3,186
security personnel from all Armed Forces units had been deployed
to restore order in the area.

"We consider the situation to be safe," he said after
attending a meeting with members of the rights commission, West
Kalimantan Military chief Col. Encip Kadarusman and leaders from
the Madurese, Malay and Dayak communities at Sambas Police
precinct.

According to Chaerul, police have detained 55 alleged rioters.

The road connecting Singkawang and Sambas has reportedly
returned to normal, with more travelers on the 80-kilometer
route.

Over the past week, local Malay villagers and Dayaks were seen
parading along the road armed with various weapons.

Bloody unrest broke out over two weeks ago in remote Sambas
villages as indigenous Malays and Dayaks clashed with Madurese
settlers.

Nearly 200 people were killed in the carnage. An outbreak of
violence in 1997 between Dayaks and Madurese claimed at least 300
lives.

Local Malay, Dayak, Bugis and Chinese community leaders told
Wiranto they could no longer live with the Madurese migrants.

Sorting system

Coordinator of the local Madurese community association,
Fahruddin, who attended the Sambas reconciliation meeting,
suggested "a sorting method" be applied by the local government
to determine which Madurese could stay in Sambas.

"We were born here, grew up here ... we want to remain here,
why should we go back to Madura?" he told The Jakarta Post on
Monday.

He suggested locals might accept "only good Madurese ... just
send back those who cause trouble".

Fahruddin urged the authorities to establish more shelters for
Madurese refugees.

In Pontianak, as reported on Monday by Suara Pembaruan
afternoon daily, some 1,400 embattled Madurese said they were
willing to return to Madura.

A local government official, Ibrahim Salin, said the refugees
had volunteered to return to the island.

Governor Aspar Aswin said there were two options to deal with
the refugees: sending them back to Sambas or relocating them to
another regency.

Community leaders in Madura have warned that the returning
Madurese may put pressure on island resources, as most of them
left the island a long time ago and could not rely on relatives
for accommodation and other support.

Also in Jakarta on Monday, dozens of students hailing from
Madura rallied in front of the defense ministry on Jl. Merdeka
Barat calling for peace in West Kalimantan.

They condemned "ethnic cleansing" of Madurese and urged the
government to punish parties responsible for the killings.

Students grouped in the Forum of Madurese Students also urged
adequate rehabilitation of refugees who had lost their homes in
the carnage.

They said Wiranto and the local military commander should
resign for failure in curbing the violence.

The Family of Madurese Students also urged all parties help to
return harmony among conflicting parties in Sambas. (leo/aan)