Over 160 migrants seek safety
Over 160 migrants seek safety
Rusman, The Jakarta Post, Samarinda, East Kalimantan
Following a recent clash between two groups of migrants, in which
two people were killed and another injured, more than 160
migrants from West Nusa Tenggara are seeking refuge at the
Samarinda Police station in fear of further violence.
East Kalimantan Police said they had arrested eight people
accused of taking part in the brawl, which broke out on Nov. 30,
and were questioning the suspects.
"We want to go home, but the police have yet to guarantee that
we will be safe for the time being," migrant Najamuddin said on
Wednesday.
"At least two houses belonging to our group have been looted
by our rivals. It is good that they didn't vandalize them, but we
are still shocked," he added.
The clash erupted between the West Nusa Tenggara migrants and
a rival group of migrants from South Sulawesi, after a South
Sulawesi man was killed in a verbal dispute involving drunken
youths from the two groups.
The violence continued in another clash, in which one West
Nusa Tenggara migrant was killed and another injured. The injured
man, whose identity was not available, is receiving medical
treatment at a local hospital.
Hatred among the two groups peaked, and on the following day,
the South Sulawesi group attacked an area known to be populated
mostly by West Nusa Tenggara migrants.
Police said there are at least 161 migrants seeking shelter at
the station, consisting of 66 men, 64 women and 31 children. Most
of the migrants work at local timber companies.
Dozens of other West Nusa Tenggara migrants are taking refuge
in local neighborhoods.
The East Kalimantan social affairs office are providing clean
water and food for the migrants.
Clashes between ethnic groups have become a sensitive issue in
Kalimantan, where a series of bloody clashes involving Madurese
migrants and indigenous peoples erupted in Central Kalimantan in
1998 and 2000, forcing thousands of Madurese to flee to other
provinces. Many have refused to return to their Kalimantan homes.
There are about 4,600 migrants currently residing in the East
Kalimantan capital of Samarinda.
East Kalimantan Governor Suwarna AF visited the migrants on
Wednesday and asked them to remain calm.
"We have to maintain the peace here, and I ask all people to
stop taking the law into their own hands.
"We should not take revenge against others, in order to
prevent the situation from disintegrating," Suwarna said.
He appealed to the migrants to go home instead of returning to
their place of origin.