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| Southeast Asia |
| Four Beheaded in Kalimantan |
| 2002-07-28 |
| At least four transmigrants near the Central Kalimantan town of Sampit have been beheaded over the past 11 days, police said Sunday, sparking fears of a new wave of ethnic killings. Kalimantan is also known as Borneo. This gets better... State news agency Antara quoted local police chief Denny Putro as saying two men were found decapitated in Kelampan village on July 18. On July 23 and 26, two more mutilated victims were found in Pasir Putih village. Several parts of their bodies were found separately in a nearby swamp. That's pretty thoroughly dead... All four victims were settlers from East Java’s Madura island. Thousands of Madurese began arriving in Kalimantan four decades ago under the government’s controversial transmigration scheme to reduce overcrowding in Java. Transmigrants were given land, houses, food allowances and subsidies, much to the anger of Kalimantan’s indigenous Dayak residents. Hey, good idea! Take a whole bunch of civilized Javanese and move them to live among the Dayaks, who used to practice head-hunting, cannibalism and human sacrifice until fairly recently. Give the Javanese money, land, food, all the things the Dayaks don't have. Whaddya think happened next? Tensions between the Dayaks and Madurese have often boiled over and resulted in bloody clashes. Last year Sampit was the scene of horrendous massacres in which at least 450 people were slaughtered. Many of the victims were beheaded and mutilated. Tens of thousands of Madurese subsequently fled Kalimantan. Thereby showing good sense on their part... Police are investigating the latest killings and searching for five suspects. Putro said the killers might have been hoping to spark another mass exodus, thereby enabling locals to seize the transmigrants’ land and properties. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |