More people flee riot town to Singkawang
More people flee riot town to Singkawang
JAKARTA (JP): The number of residents fleeing the West
Kalimantan district of Sanggau Ledo, Sambas regency, hit by
ethnic tension which killed five Monday, increased yesterday to
almost 5,700 people.
A resident source told The Jakarta Post the general atmosphere
in the district was one of anxiety and fear. As of last night,
5,678 people of the Maduran ethnic group had fled to Singkawang,
some 70 kilometers west of the district.
But there have been no more casualties or damage to property
since the violent clash broke out Monday, the source said.
It is unclear how many Madurans, who originate from Madura
Island in East Java, had been involved in the clash with the
native Dayak people. On Thursday, thousands of Dayak men went on
a burning and looting rampage against Maduran houses and other
property.
The source also reported an increase from 471 to 606 women and
children seeking refuge at the Sanggau Ledo Air Force base,
adding to the approximately 500 existing refugees.
At a rough estimate there are about 1,200 refugees there, the
source said.
Many were awaiting transfer to a haj dormitory in the West
Kalimantan capital of Pontianak, which can accommodate up to
1,000 people.
Pontianak is some 765 kilometers north of Jakarta.
Meanwhile, an estimated 600 troops were still deployed in
Singkawang, and in the districts of Samalantan, Bengkayang,
Sanggau Ledo and Ledo, to maintain security and prevent further
unrest. The Kolor village in Singkawang was under especially
tight security, the source said but gave no further details.
The curfew between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m., imposed earlier by
Sambas Regent Taryo Aryanto, remained effective yesterday. The
regent could not be contacted for comment last night.
The daily Kompas reported yesterday that 90 homes were burned
in Sanggau Ledo, Marabu village, Kampung Jawa, and Jirak village.
A number of homes in transmigration sites A,B,C,D, in Sanggau
Ledo district have also been burned by rioters.
Residents in Singkawang have complained of disrupted telephone
lines, and reported food shortages. Some people have organized
relief posts in Singkawang including four public kitchens to
serve the refugees. Meals are also provided by private homes to
refugees.
The source said the food supply was authorized by Sambas
Regent Taryo Aryanto and paid by Uray Faisal Hamid, the chairman
of provincial legislative council.
The tension in Sanggau Ledo, one of the 17 districts in
Sambas, was sparked by a brawl, over a woman, between two groups
of youths. In the incident at a local music concert, a Madura man
reportedly stabbed two Dayak tribesmen in the stomach.
The communities in the West Kalimantan cities have a long
history of feuds between the Dayak and the migrant Maduran ethnic
groups. (01)