Sambas tragedy leaves 165 dead

PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan (JP): The official death toll in weeklong clashes between local residents and migrant Madurese in Sambas regency reached 165 on Monday, as the military dispatched more troops to deal with the unrest.

Latest data from the command post of the Natural Disaster Management Coordination Board at the provincial administration office were made available to The Jakarta Post.

In Jakarta, the Armed Forces (ABRI) dispatched reinforcements, numbering between 750 and 1,000 troops, to the province to support the existing 2,000 personnel.

Chief of Tanjungpura Military Command overseeing Kalimantan Maj. Gen. Zainuri Hasyim, who attended the sending-off ceremony for the troops, said the deployment would help prevent the clashes from spreading.

Officiating at the ceremony were ABRI's chief of general affairs Lt. Gen. Sugiono and territorial chief Lt. Gen. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Antara reported on Monday that the control of the security forces -- including those of the police's Mobile Brigade, Army's Strategic Reserves Command, Air Force's Special Force and the Navy's marines -- were handed over from the Sambas police chief to the local military chief.

Meanwhile, refugees, mostly women and children, continued to pour into the provincial capital on tightly guarded land and river transportation. Official estimates put their number at from 8,000 to 12,000.

Suara Pembaruan afternoon daily on Monday quoted West Kalimantan Police chief Col. Chaerul Rasyidi's request to ABRI to dispatch a Hercules military plane to help evacuate the Madurese.

However, Sambas does not have an airport which can accommodate such a large aircraft.

Many of the Madurese refugees have taken shelter in Pontianak's Pangsuma indoor stadium. Others are accommodated in a local haj dormitory and military barracks.

Refugees complained they were victimized for the misdeeds of others.

"The mean, the bad and those who caused the trouble come from other villages. Why must we take the brunt?" Muhammad Said, 41, told Antara.

A resident of Pemangkat subdistrict, one of the most heavily affected subdistricts, said the situation remained tense on Monday although no fresh violence was reported.

"Armed villagers are still patrolling day and night ... so are soldiers and police," Yati, a phone operator, told the Post.

"No more Madurese here," she added.

Maj. Gen. Zainuri told private television station SCTV that security personnel would crack down on the mobs, including through confiscating their weapons.

Responding to the new military directive, Sambas traditional Malayan monarch Raden Winata Kusuma told Antara that the measure would not provide a lasting end to the troubles.

"The most effective measure is to evacuate all Madurese from the regency," he said.

In a live phone interview with SCTV, the province's governor Aspar Aswin said the government should call on informal community leaders for help in solving the conflicts.

Priority also should be to get the Madurese to safety, he said.

Dayaks

Edi Petebang of Kalimantan Review weekly said the clashes were mainly between Malays and Madurese.

He said a small number of Dayaks became involved in Samalantan and Sanggau Ledo subdistricts only after a Dayak man was allegedly murdered by a mob of Madurese last Tuesday.

Unrest swept at least six remote villages of Tebas, Pemangkat, Jawai, Selakau, Sanggau Ledo and Samalantan.

Reports said thousands of Madurese were in hiding in forests.

Petebang, a Dayak, also said there was as yet no display of the Mangkok Merah (red bowl), the tribespeople's "formal" calling for all of its members to join a conflict.

During clashes in early 1997, most Dayaks of all ages underwent a special rite called triu, in which they were reportedly put into a trance to enable them to easily find their enemies.

Suara Pembaruan also quoted on Monday an influential Dayak elder, Nazarius, who confirmed the traditional Dayak call to battle.

However, he said people today were ignorant of their elders' teachings. He cautioned the security personnel would have to bring the situation under control.

In Jakarta, politician Abdurrahman Wahid stated the Sambas tragedy was part of a chain of unrest caused by a particular political group seeking to foment instability to maintain the status quo.

ABRI Commander Gen. Wiranto, who is also the Minister of Defense and Security, urged members of the public not to comment on recent disturbances without an understanding of their causes.

Wiranto said ABRI's main task was to contain the spread of the unrest.

In Surabaya, 25 members of the Madurese Islamic Youths Movement were sent to West Kalimantan to help solve the dispute.

Group chairman Rifai Abdullah said he would tell his fellow Madurese in the province to always maintain a sense of brotherhood with members of local ethnic groups. (edt/35/aan)

Editorial -- Page 4