Some Sambas refugees seek 'special places'

Some Sambas refugees seek 'special places'

JAKARTA (JP): A senior ulema urged the government on Wednesday
to not only attend to the physical needs of about 21,000 Madurese
refugees from Sambas in West Kalimantan, but to also facilitate
their necessary romantic activities.

H.A. Malik, chairman of the West Kalimantan chapter of the
Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), said he has received several
complaints from married refugees who say they feel restricted.

Citing complaints from refugees sheltered at the packed Sultan
Syarif Abdurahman soccer stadium and other sports stadiums in the
provincial capital Pontianak, Malik said couples had requested
that lights not be left on all night.

"The lamps should, at least, be switched off at certain
times," the head of the provincial office of the Ministry of
Religious Affairs quoted the refugees as telling him recently.

Malik, however, told the frustrated Madurese to search for an
appropriate setting before retiring.

The refugees from Sambas regency have arrived in droves in
Pontianak and other centers in the province, fleeing clashes
between the migrant Madurese and other ethnic groups in the
province.

Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and
Poverty Eradication Haryono Suyono, who has just returned from
West Kalimantan, said the President has agreed to plans to
relocate the Madurese from Sambas, as demanded by the indigenous
inhabitants.

But Habibie instructed him to extend the deadline for their
relocation for at least two months to enable the refugees to
choose their new destinations.

The President said the refugees should be given the freedom to
choose the place where they would make their new homes.

"It must be considered first whether they want to work (in the
destination areas), and whether local people are ready to accept
them," Haryono said after meeting Habibie at the State Palace.

Haryono said that, as of Tuesday, the clashes had claimed 165
lives, including 154 Madurese and 10 Malays, and seriously
injured 62, while 2,127 houses were burned down in the month-long
clashes.

The official number is lower than press reports, which said
more than 200 had been killed in the violence.

According to the minister, 20,782 Madurese have left Sambas
since the violence erupted, while 7,913 people remained.

Meanwhile, more than 1,600 refugees from Sambas arrived in
Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya on Wednesday.

The East Java administration financed the migrants' return to
their home towns in Bangkalan, Madura.

Separately, noted economist Didiek J. Rachbini criticized the
government for its slow actions and lack of political will in
handling the ethnic conflicts in the province.

Speaking in his capacity as the coordinator of the Madurese
Forum for Humanitarian Campaigns (Kamus), Didik said angrily in
Yogyakarta that the killings of Madurese could only be compared
with that of Pol Pot in Cambodia.

He also demanded that Habibie fire "incapable" governor Aspar
Aswin and the provincial police chief Col. Chaerul Rasyidi.

Meanwhile in Pontianak, appeals of peace was scattered through
the air on Wednesday, Antara reported.

It was signed by 12 prominent community leaders representing
the Dayaks, Malays, Madurese, Bugis and Chinese, apart from local
officials.

Among others the messages appealed that people could help one
another and work together to retain peace. Earlier community
leaders other than the Madurese said they could no longer live
with the Madurese, citing incompatible cultures. (prb/23)