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Madurese refugees emerge from Borneo jungle

Madurese
Thousands of Madurese settlers have been evacuated to East Java  

SAMPIT, Indonesia -- Madurese refugees are continuing to emerge from the jungle in Indonesia's Central Kalimantan province following an apparent lull in attacks by indigenous Dayaks.

Many are heading for already overcrowded refugee camps in the port of Sampit, one of the towns worst hit by the recent violence.

The Indonesian Red Cross estimates there are 19,500 people in the camp where sanitation is a severe problem.

Officials say nearly 500 people were killed and tens of thousands displaced when mobs of indigenous Dayaks went on the rampage massacring Madurese settlers.

The Indonesian navy and merchant ships have already evacuated 42,000 people to East Java since February 24 when the violence began.

Irman Rachman from the Red Cross told CNN he could not predict how many more Madurese would come out of the jungle but he said there could be as many as 9,000 people still hiding.

He said 6,000 refugees would be evacuated on Monday to Surabaya in East Java on a commercial ship hired by the Indonesian government, with another 3,000 scheduled to leave the following day on a naval vessel.

'Necessary' policy

The United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is also concerned about the number of people hiding out in the jungle, particularly in the region of Samuda, home to some 13,000 Madurese of which only 8,000 have been evacuated.

Sampit
Crowded conditions in Sampit are causing salination and water supply problems  

Indonesian newspapers say the government has admitted its decision to evacuate the settlers from Kalimantan back to their home province of East Java was against the spirit of unity, but defended the policy as "necessary".

On Tuesday Indonesian Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri, Kalimantan governors and Cabinet ministers are expected to meet to discuss the return of the refugees and problems concerning their relocation.

But whether the Madurese would return to Kalimantan remains "the big question".

Rachman said the Red Cross was not aware of any return plans but said the Madurese would need a guarantee of safety.

On Monday the Indonesian national news agency, Antara, quoted a Dayak leader in Central Kalimantan saying the attacks were sparked by "cultural clashes, and not because of the envy of the local people toward outsiders like some people have presumed".

Indonesian newspapers report the Central Kalimantan administration and communities have said they want all Madurese out of the province adding that talk of reconciliation was only possible after all settlers had left.



RELATED SITES:
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Report on Kalimantan violence
Red Cross

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