Situation back to normal in Central Kalimantan

Situation back to normal in Central Kalimantan

JAKARTA (JP): The security situation in Kumai district, West
Kotawaringin regency in Central Kalimantan province gradually
returned to normal on Monday following outbreaks of interethnic
violence on Saturday during which two people were killed.

Antara stated that local residents had resumed their daily
activities and markets and several shops were open for business.

Security forces were also seen patrolling several locations
such as the border between Kumai and its neighboring districts.

Meanwhile local residents also guarded their residences in
anticipation of further clashes.

Spokesman of the Central Kalimantan Police Comr. Anjan Putra
confirmed that the security situation in Kumai and other
districts in West Kotawaringin regency had returned to normal.

However, he said security personnel still continued their
raids on illegal weapons.

Anjan also said there was only one fatality during the
incident while two other people were injured.

He identified the victim as Tahlim bin Kalsan, 80, and the two
wounded as M. Yusuf, 55, and Siman, 47.

"Preliminary police investigations show that the victims tried
to defend their house when a group of people attempted to set the
house on fire," Anjan said.

The police officer however, also speculated that a certain
group of Dayak people were still seeking out Madurese settlers in
the area.

"The group has been identified but is now at large," Anjan
said.

A staff member of a local hospital earlier had revealed that
at least two people had been killed during the violence in Kumai.
The official even insisted the death toll might even reach seven
although only two bodies were sent to the hospital for postmortem
examinations.

Separately, West Kotawaringin Regent Abdul Razak, in his
report to the Central Kalimantan governor, explained that the
incident in Kumai occurred on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. and
continued until around 3 a.m. on Sunday.

Refugees

Meanwhile, in Palu, Central Sulawesi, at least 8,000 of more
than 19,500 refugees refused to return to their homes over
security fears.

"They decided not to come back because their homes had been
burned down and their farmland damaged and also because of their
traumatic experience," Yus Mangun, the head of the Poso refugees
aid center said, as quoted by Antara on Monday.

Most of the refugees who refused to return home were migrants
who had been residing in the regency since 1990s to open rice
fields and plantations as part of the government's regional
development program.

The ethnic riots that have brought unrest to the regency since
December 1998, had claimed at least 2,000 lives and had destroyed
more than 4,000 buildings, according to local researcher Sulaiman
Mamar.

Acting Poso police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Djasman Baso Opu said
there were minor incidents in the regency during the day,
including attacks by unidentified people against
residents.(emf/bby)