Pontianak – An Indonesian provincial capital, where there has been unrest since the start of the year, remained tense Wednesday with reports of new violence in other towns.

"The situation is very tense with sporadic violence in the last week," a resident of Pontianak, capital of West Kalimantan, told AFP.

The authorities have tried to impose a curfew in Pontianak.

But armed forces spokesman Brigadier General Amir Syarifuddin said "everything is now secure and under control," the official Antara news agency reported.

He denied press reports that Pontianak was tense or that additional troops had been brought in.

But witnesses said troops arrived Wedenesday on transport aircraft and left the city airport on more than one dozen trucks.

Two infantry companies were flown to Pontianak from Balikpapan, also in Kalimantan, at the weekend, the Media Indonesia daily reported Tuesday.

Authorities in Pontianak and other towns have told people not to leave their homes between 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.

But residents said the curfew was not strictly enforced and people were on the streets in the evening. Riots in which buildings have been attacked or set ablaze have hit parts of West Kalimantan, on the Indonesian side of Borneo, since New Year.

Malaysia's Sarawak closed all border crossing posts with Kalimantan on Sunday because of the violence, according to reports, but Indonesia's Foreign Minister Ali Alatas said Wednesday he hoped the closure would only be temporary.

On New Year's day, 5,000 ethnic Dayak tribesmen went on a rampage in Sanggau Ledo, some 96 kilometres (60 miles) northeast of Pontianak, attacking migrants from Madura, an East Java island.

Five people died in the riots, sources have said, while officials said 21 people were missing. In the past week two people have been wounded and there was one unconfirmed death in two attacks on a Catholic dormitory and private homes in Pontianak which locals say housed Dayak refugees.

Road blocks still dotted roads out of the town, practically halting traffic between Pontianak and the other main towns, residents said.

Random identity checks and weapons searches were conducted by the security in various parts of the town, residents said.

Rumors of what was taking place in the countryside abounded in town although one said they appeared to be less strong than in the previous days, residents said.

"Whatever happens in one town to one ethnic group seems to be avenged in another town...

things have been pretty crazy," one resident said.

Residents complained of a lack of food in markets because military roadblocks had virtually cut off the city since last week.

One resident said gangs had also made streets on the edge of towns unsafe, stopping vehicles and harrassing passengers.

Indonesia, the world's largest Moslem-populated nation, has been plagued by ethnic and religious unrest that has left at least 12 deaths since October. lis/bs/be