PPP denies members' involvement in ethnic riot

PPP denies members' involvement in ethnic riot

JAKARTA (JP): The United Development Party (PPP) denied an
Army claim yesterday that two of its politicians had incited the
latest wave of ethnic violence in West Kalimantan.

PPP chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum said Amin Imron had not
visited the troubled province as the army had alleged while
Abdullah Schal visited from Jan. 9 to Jan. 16 on a peace mission
initiated by senior Islamic preachers from Madura.

The Moslem-oriented PPP sent a fact-finding team to West
Kalimantan from Jan. 11 through Jan. 14 following the first
clash, in Sanggau Ledo, between indigenous Dayaks and migrants
from Madura.

The team, according to Metareum, consisted of Bachtiar
Chamsyah, Koensholehoeddin and Nadhier Muhammad, all House of
Representatives members.

Amin and Abdullah, who both hail from Madura, were among the
four people army leaders publicly identified as instigators of
the latest wave of unrest in West Kalimantan.

Maj. Gen. Zacky Anwar Makarim, Assistant to the Army Chief for
Security Affairs, said Monday the four had been questioned by the
police but more evidence was needed before they could be
arrested.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. R. Hartono said Monday the second
wave of violence, which newspapers have said claimed 300 lives,
was instigated by a group of East Java people who went to West
Kalimantan to fan fresh unrest.

The second wave of clashes started on Jan. 29, less than a
month after the Dayaks and Madurese reached a peace agreement.

Residents of West Kalimantan have said the latest unrest
erupted following reports that 40 masked men, believed to be
migrants from Madura, attacked a foundation that manages Catholic
schools in the Siantan Tengah district.

The Dayaks accused the Madurese migrants of breaking the oath
of peace they had made following an earlier clash in the Sanggau
Ledo district triggered by a minor dispute over a woman. Five
people were killed and 21 went missing following the first
incident, officials reported.

When pressed about Hartono's remarks that the Army had plenty
of evidence of the two PPP members' presence in West Kalimantan,
Ismail said the PPP would consider questioning the two.

When confronted with the army's claim that Amin and Abdullah
had circulated provocative leaflets with their pictures printed
on them, Ismail said the allegation was not true.

"The leaflets were part of the party's fund-raising drive to
finance the upcoming general election campaign," he said.

Meanwhile, PPP deputy chairman Hamzah Haz said the leaflets
were probably taken to West Kalimantan by santri (students of
Islamic boarding schools).

Moslem leaders in Madura said yesterday they were certain
Hartono had not meant to accuse the local Ulemas' Board of
Communication when he was said "people from East Java" incited
the second wave of unrest.

"I'm sure Pak (Mr.) Hartono did not target the board simply
because four of our members visited West Kalimantan," board
secretary Nurudin A. Rahman told Antara yesterday.

Nurudin said the visit of the four members, including
Abdullah, to West Kalimantan from Jan. 9 to Jan. 16 was simply
motivated by a desire to help calm the situation there.

"We tried to help restore peace there and called on Madura
migrants not to be easily provoked by rumors that could lead to
fresh riots," he said.

Moreover, he said, "We also tried to cheer them up and told
them not take any revenge." (imn)