Sorrow shrouds conflict-ridden West Kalimantan
Text and photos By P.J. Leo
SAMBAS, West Kalimantan (JP): A deadly ethnic conflict pitting a minority group of Madurese against an alliance of indigenous Malay and Dayak remains smoldering.
Violence that broke out on March 15 has claimed more than 200 lives and forced thousands of families to flee their homes to military barracks for protection with no prospect of returning as their homes were devastated and local communities rejection is strong.
The ethnic clashes followed a bloody sectarian conflict in Ambon, Maluku, which was sparked by a minor personal dispute between indigenous Ambonese and a Buginese migrant from South Sulawesi.
The Sambas conflict involving the Madurese and Dayak is a repetition of bloody clashes between Madurese and Dayak in West Kalimantan in 1997. Leaders of the two ethnic groups signed a peace accord in 1997 but, just as has happened many times before, it went unhonored.
Scenes in the subdistricts of Singkawang, Sambas and Nonterado are often dominated by ruined houses and buildings, especially in areas along the Sambas river.
Hundreds of troops and police have been sent in to quell the riots. Armed soldiers and police have been deployed to every corner of the riot-torn areas.
Security forces continue to evacuate the Madurese from the forests, where they seek protection, to a number of refugee centers elsewhere in the province. Hundreds of Madurese have returned to Madura.
Due to inadequate facilities, the transportation of Madurese to Pontianak has been temporarily stopped as of March 29.
Following a meeting between visiting members of the National Commission on Human Rights with West Kalimantan chief of police Co. Chaerul R. Rasyidi, Regiment Commander/Bhana Alam Wanawai Col. Encip Kadarusman and prominent Dayak, Malay and Madurese community figures and high-ranking officers of the Armed Forces and the police, Sambas Regent Tarya Aryanto said: "The refugee shelters in Pontianak are no longer adequate, therefore, we have to postpone transportation of Madurese people to Pontianak."
It is a sad scene in refugee centers in Sambas and Pontianak. Due to lack of food and medical supplies, diarrhea is common. Babies crying in their mothers' arms are heard constantly. Some people look for relatives whose whereabouts are unknown. Madurese living in Pontianak visit refugees in the hope of meeting their relatives.
Asmanta, 20, a coffee stall owner, said, "Day after day, I have been looking for my parents. I have not found them yet." Asmanta left his village, Sekanan, in the Sendoyan district, Saubah regency, for Pontianak two years ago to try and earn a living.
The presence of over 25,000 terrified Madurese in Pontianak has provoked yet another fear that rioting will eventually reach the provincial capital.
Pontianak citizens hope that security forces will be on the alert to face any development because they do not want a repeat of the Sambas massacre in their city.