Pontianak returns to normal after clashes

Pontianak returns to normal after clashes

PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan (JP): The West Kalimantan capital
of Pontianak was returning to normal after being crippled for two
days by interethnic clashes that left at least six people dead.

Although a curfew was still in place on Saturday, the main
streets of the city, including Jl. Tanjungpura, Jl. Gadjah Mada,
Jl. Pattimura and Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan, were filled with
private vehicles. However, public transportation vehicles were
still not operating.

The areas where the clashes took place, including Jeruju and
Sungai Jawi, which were hardest hit by the violence, have been
cleared of debris. Barricades were removed as well, and the areas
looked quiet and peaceful.

Supermarkets were open for the first time since the
interethnic clashes between indigenous Malays and migrant
Madurese began on Wednesday.

Some smaller shops, which usually open in the morning, began
doing business in the afternoon.

Jl. Gusti Situ Mahmud in Siantan, which is dominated by
Madurese residents, was open to motorbikes only.

Groups of people were still seen at several flashpoints around
the city, but none of them were carrying swords or other sharp
weapons. Security officers were still on alert in these areas.

Reinforcement troops dispatched from Jakarta to Pontianak on
Friday have had a visible effect, and sweeps conducted by the
police are expected to help reduce the tension.

Locals said the sweeps had not yet borne fruit because the
people living in the areas where the sweeps were carried out
seemed to know of the operations beforehand, and most of the
residents hid their weapons from the officers.

West Kalimantan Police chief Brig. Gen. Atok Rismanto said on
Friday the police had to be extra careful in carrying out the
searches. "Or the people will get angry."

Pontianak Mayor Buchary A. Rahman called on the people through
television and radio announcements on Friday to go about their
daily activities.

The local office of the Ministry of National Education
announced that all private and state schools, from kindergartens
to high schools, would be closed until Nov. 1.

"The closures may be extended depending on developments," said
Buchary.

The violence in Pontianak began on Wednesday after groups of
Madurese and Malays clashed near Kapuas bridge, leaving one man,
identified as Misadin, 40, dead and three others injured.

The violence increased in intensity and by Friday six people
were dead, dozens of others injured, 50 shops razed and dozens of
becak (three-wheeled pedicabs) destroyed. Four houses in the
Jeruju area of the city also were destroyed by fire during the
mayhem.

Representatives of the two warring groups have expressed
remorse over the violence. Abdul Syukur SK, secretary of the
Madurese Family Association in Pontianak, said on Saturday: "On
behalf of the Madurese, I apologize to the Malay ethnics. I call
on the Madurese to restrain themselves."

Erdin Odang, a respected figure in the Malay community in
Pontianak, said: "We are all Muslim brothers. No more fights, no
more violence among us."

For the residents of the town, the interethnic violence has
been a tragedy. "Everything is a mess after the violence. This is
all because of an individual dispute, now everybody has become a
victims. Why must they kill each other, they are all Muslims,"
Normah, a Madurese housewife, said. (edi/sur)