The National Police has sent four companies, or about 560 security officers, to reinforce security in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, where tension over the presence of the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front continues.
West Kalimantan Police Chief Brig. Gen. Unggung Cahyono said the four companies of mobile brigade (Brimob) officers had arrived in the province on Friday.
"Reinforcements of four companies of Brimob from the headquarters arrived this morning, two from the Brimob pioneer unit in Bogor and two from the Central Java Brimob," Unggung told local leaders who had gathered at the West Kalimantan police headquarters in Pontianak, adding that he had demanded the reinforcements himself.
Pontianak has been tense since Dayak protesters put up large banners around the city on Wednesday morning, protesting the presence of the hard-line group known as the FPI.
On Wednesday afternoon, the police took down the banners and later that evening hosted a dialogue between Dayak and FPI representatives. Still, FPI supporters and Dayaks have come close to violence several times since then.
The FPI, infamous for its penchant for taking the law into its own hands through violent means, has been the target of recent demonstrations in other areas of Kalimantan.
In February, a Dayak group in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, stormed the local airport to prevent an FPI delegation from landing there. Members of the hard-line Islamic group were on their way to the city to inaugurate an FPI office there. Anti-FPI protests have also taken place in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan.
"I do not want to take any risks," Unggung said, explaining why he had requested the Brimob reinforcements. However, he also said the situation in Pontianak and the immediate area was safe and under control.
He called on the local population to trust that the police and government would seek a solution amenable to both sides.
"If people receive information or reports colored by tribal, racial, religious and ethnic nuances, please do not spread them further but check them with the security authorities or the government instead," Unggung said.
He also said the police would enforce a ban on the carrying of weapons such as sharp blades and firearms. "I call on the Dayak Customary Council of West Kalimantan and the FPI both to restrain themselves and not act anarchically," he said.
Before Friday prayers, mosques across Pontianak read out a call by the West Kalimantan Police chief for people not to be easily provoked and to report any violence or rumors of violence to the police.
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Erwin Hudawi Lubis, who heads the Tanjungpura military command that oversees West Kalimantan, also called on all sides to cool down and relax.