Sambas refugees' fate hangs in the balance

JAKARTA (JP): West Kalimantan authorities have yet to decide whether to relocate nearly 23,000 Madurese now taking refuge in Pontianak and surrounding areas.

Ethnic clashes flared up again on Sunday in the Sambas hamlet of Karimunting, 10 kilometers south of the regency capital of Singkawang, claiming four lives and wounding two others. All of them suffered from gunshots.

An officer of the Sambas Police, Maj. Husaini Najirin, told The Jakarta Post on Monday that the violence occurred when a group of ethnic Malays and Dayaks set alight houses belonging to migrant Madurese. Three houses were burned down by the time a special police unit arrived.

Husaini said that, following the latest incident, security forces had intensified operations to seize weapons held illegally by people from the conflicting groups.

"We have repeatedly called for a disarmament, but from now on we will take strict measures against people who refuse to surrender their weapons," Husaini said.

The police arrested two people for allegedly inciting the unrest and seized home-made rifles, bullets and gun powder from the warring groups.

Husaini said order was restored on Monday as dozens of troops were deployed to the village. He dismissed speculations that the riot would spread to Singkawang.

Communal clashes pitting ethnic Malays and indigenous Dayaks against migrant Madurese have so far killed more than 200 since mid-January.

Governor Aspar Aswin told a visiting team from the Inspectorate General of Development that preparations to relocate the refugees were underway, but the exodus could only begin after it was clear that people living in the new destinations would welcome them.

"We are examining the appropriateness of the designated resettlement sites and how the natives there respond to our plan," Aswin said as quoted by Antara.

Aswin said at least five places outside the province's capital of Pontianak had been prepared for the refugees but was hesitant to disclose them to the team.

The team comprised Maj. Gen. (ret) Sulatin Umar, Sri Hardjoko, Gunawan Hadi Susilo and Syafei Djamil, the first three are senior officials at the inspectorate general. During their four-day stay in the province, they will verify data on the number of refugees, observe the riot-affected areas and visit refugees.

Data from the provincial riot monitoring post reveal that 12,500 people are now sheltering in 11 refuge centers across Pontianak, nearly 9,300 in other parts of Sambas and almost 2,200 people have left the province. Six refugees have died of various illnesses while in asylum.

West Kalimantan Police chief Col. Chaerul Rasjid suspected that a certain group wanted the unrest to continue. "They want to sabotage the June elections," he said.

Meanwhile, the Sambas district court began the trial of two people suspected of triggering communal clashes in the regency. The unrest, which followed trivial disputes between individuals, spread throughout Sambas and resulted in a campaign against Madurese.

In Yogyakarta, former minister of transmigration Siswono Yudohusodo called on indigenous Dayaks and Malays to give migrant Madurese another chance to live in harmony in Sambas.

"I wholeheartedly appeal to the ethnic Dayak and Malay peoples to accept the Madurese. The same appeal I demand for the Madurese to adapt themselves to local customs," Siswono said on the sidelines of a ceremony to launch the Yogyakarta branch of the Indonesian Farmers and Fishermen Association (HKTI). He chairs the association.

"The ideal solution is returning the Madurese back to Sambas, because all Indonesian citizens have the right to live in every part of the country. Eviction of a certain ethnic group from a place will only precede a national disintegration process," Siswono said.

In the southeast Maluku town of Tual, Maluku military commander Col. Karel Ralahalu was quoted as saying by Antara that security authorities would apply a cultural approach in solving religious conflict that had killed nearly 100 people in the regency.

"We pick such a method because religious and traditional norms are well preserved here," Karel said while visiting the riot-torn town.

He said he had consulted local administration about a plan to set up a reconciliation team which was expected to involve leaders from various religions, community leaders, cultural figures and noble people.

The team will be assisted by experts from various fields of study, according to Karel.

"This model of solution was applied well in Ambon," Karel said.

Religious riots pitting Muslim and Christian groups rocked the provincial capital of Ambon for two months early this year, leaving some 200 people dead. The hostility spread to Tual and other areas in southeast Maluku just after the clashes in Ambon ceased in March. (amd)