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Indonesia hopes Borneo border closure only temporary measure

Source
Agence France Presse - February 5, 1997

Jakarta – Indonesia's foreign minister said Wednesday that Jakarta hoped Malaysia's closure of part of its border on Borneo due to ethnic violence on the Indonesian side would be quickly lifted.

"We hope that this matter is only of a temporary nature, just for some time, to prevent things we do not want to happen from happening," minister Ali Alatas told journalists at the presidential Merdeka palace.

Violence in the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan prompted Malaysia Sunday to close all border crossing posts between its timber-rich state of Sarawak and Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island.

But Alatas stressed the situation in the troubled province had improved.

Jakarta has sent troops to the area in a bid to restore order.

"Hopefully, in the near future it will return to normal because the situation has returned to normal," Alatas said.

Indonesia's Armed Forces Chief General Feisal Tanjung, speaking to journalists separately at the palace, said there was now "no problem" in West Kalimantan, stressing that Malaysia had the right to close its border.

"Why should we be offended when someone wants to make their territory secure? It is just like when we close the door of our homes – it is our right," Tanjung said.

The border closure came amid reports of sporadic disturbances in West Kalimantan in the wake of major trouble early in January when a mob of some 5,000 indigenous Dayak tribesmen burnt and looted scores of homes and stores.

The damaged buildings mainly belonged to settlers from the Indonesian island of Madura.

January's mass unrest in January left five people dead, according to reports, but officials have not confirmed casualty figures. They have only said that 21 people were missing following the incident. The disturbances left 1,020 houses damaged and almost 5,000 people homeless, officials said. str/bs/be/cmc

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