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)