Madurese to return to Kalimantan

JAKARTA: The National Coordinating Board for the Management of Disasters and Refugees (Bakornas PBP) said on Wednesday that the government would finish repatriating internally displaced persons from the island of Madura in East Java to their homes in Central Kalimantan by the end of the year.

"At least 150 families will return home this year. They will lead a normal life in their respective regencies under regency rulings," Budi Atmadi Adiputro, the deputy for internally displaced persons and refugee affairs at Bakornas PBP, said.

Currently three of the six regencies that saw bloody conflicts involving Madurese migrants have agreed to accept the returning migrants.

The three regencies are North Barito, South Barito and West Kotawaringin. Budi said that East Kotawaringin, Palangkaraya and Kapuas regencies were not ready to accept the refugees because they had not prepared any rulings yet.

Thousands of Madurese fled to East Timor in 2001 after a bloody conflict with the local Dayak tribe broke out, which resulted in dozens dying and hundreds injured. --JP