Madurese long to return to Kalimantan 'homeland'
Madurese long to return to Kalimantan 'homeland'
Ainur R.Sophiaan, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya
The Madurese refugees from Sampit and Palangkaraya, Central
Kalimantan, now living in shelters and camps in Bangkalan and
other areas on the island of Madura hope to return to their
"former homeland" in Central Kalimantan in the next three months
after a bylaw on demography is issued.
Central Kalimantan Governor Asnawi A. Gani told the refugees
in Bangkalan on Monday that the bylaw would apply to the migrants
as well as the indigenous Dayaks.
Asnawi visited the refugees in Bangka along with Coordinating
Minister for People's Welfare Yusuf Kalla, Minister for Social
Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah, West Kalimantan Governor Aspar Aswin
and East Java Governor Imam Utomo.
The VIPs met with 100 people representing the 140,000 Madurese
migrants, now living in Madura and other areas of East Java, who
were displaced due to sectarian clashes in Kalimantan last year.
Sectarian clashes between Madurese migrants and Malays and
local Dayaks took place late last year and early this year.
Thousands of Madurese were killed, forcing the survivors to flee
from their houses.
"Insyaallah (God Willing) the refugees here will be able to
return to Kalimantan in the next three months," said Asnawi.
On behalf of the minister of social affairs, and the two
Kalimantan governors, Yusuf Kall handed over a total of Rp 100
million for the refugees, represented by governor Imam Utomo.
Asnawi said that the Central Kalimantan administration is
preparing a bylaw which will apply to the migrants and locals
alike.
"Hopefully, the bylaw can in the future curb any possibility
of ethnic-related clashes."
"Once the bylaw goes into effect, the local administration
will have a legal basis to rule the people and act in case of any
conflict," he said.
Asnawi reiterated that the situation in Sampit was not yet
acceptable for the refugees to return. "Recently around 125
Madurese migrants have attempted to return to Sampit. The
authorities stopped them on the way fearing that something would
happen to them."
"Please be patient. We are facing very complicated problems,"
he told the representatives and officials.
The Madurese are asking the government to allow them back in
addition to providing massive resettlement aid. The government
has said it did not want to give money or land at this point to
avoid feelings of resentment by the Dayaks again.