Migrants sent back to Madura

Migrants sent back to Madura

SAMPIT, Central Kalimantan: As many as 23 Madurese migrants
who had returned to their former homes in Sampit, Central
Kalimantan, have been sent back to Madura, police said here on
Monday.

Kotawaringin Police chief Sr. Adj. Comr. P. Handoyo said in
Sampit on Saturday that the Madurese were sent home as a security
precaution and to maintain order in the conflict-torn area.

Thousands of Madurese migrants were displaced from their homes
in many areas in Kotawaringin following fatal clashes with Malays
and local Dayaks. Most migrants are staying at temporary shelters
in some towns in Kalimantan and East Java.

Handoyo said that Kotawaringin Timor was not yet prepared for
the return of uprooted Madurese families. "The regency is cooling
down while it waits for a bylaw on demography." --Antara