The Sampit conflict was an outbreak of inter-ethnic violence in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, beginning in February 2001 and lasting through the year. The conflict started in the town of Sampit,

Central Kalimantan Central Kalimantan ( id, Kalimantan Tengah) is a province of Indonesia. It is one of five provinces in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo. Its provincial capital is Palangka Raya and in 2010 its population was over 2.2 million, while the 20 ...

, and spread throughout the province, including the capital Palangkaraya. The conflict took place between the indigenous

Dayak people The Dayak (; older spelling: Dajak) or Dyak or Dayuh are one of the native groups of Borneo. It is a loose term for over 200 riverine and hill-dwelling ethnic groups, located principally in the central and southern interior of Borneo, each ...

and the migrant Madurese people from the island of

Madura Madura Island is an Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java. The island comprises an area of approximately (administratively 5,379.33 km2 including various smaller islands to the east, southeast and north that are administrat ...

off

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

. Violence first broke out on February 18, 2001, when two Madurese were attacked by a number of Dayak in Sampit. The conflict resulted in more than 500 deaths, with over 100,000 Madurese displaced from their homes. Hundreds of Madurese were also found to be decapitated by the Dayak.

Background

The 2001 Sampit conflict was not an isolated incident, as there had been previous incidents of violence between the Dayak and the Madurese. The last major conflict occurred between December 1996 and January 1997, and resulted in more than 600 deaths. The Madurese first arrived in

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java Isl ...

in 1930 under the transmigration program initiated by the Dutch colonial administration, and continued by the Indonesian government. In 1999,

Malays Malays may refer to: * Malay race, a racial category encompassing peoples of Southeast Asia and sometimes the Pacific Islands ** Overseas Malays, people of Malay race ancestry living outside Malay archipelago home areas ** Cape Malays, a communit ...

and Dayak in

Kalimantan Kalimantan () is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area. The non-Indonesian parts of Borneo are Brunei and East Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo. In 2019, ...

joined forces to persecute and massacre Madurese during the Sambas conflict. Madurese were mutilated and raped, and 3,000 were killed in the massacres, with the Indonesian government doing little to stop the violence. In 2000, transmigrants made up 21 percent of the population in Central Kalimantan. The Dayak came into competition with the highly visible and industrious Madurese, and in places like Sampit the Madurese quickly dominated low-level sectors of the economy, which negatively affected Dayak employment prospects. Additionally, new laws had allowed the Madurese to assume control of many commercial industries in the province, such as logging, mining, and plantations. There are a number of stories purportedly describing the incident that sparked the violence in 2001. One version claims that it was caused by an

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

attack on a Dayak house. Rumors spread that the fire was caused by Madurese, and later a group of Dayak began burning houses in a Madurese neighborhood. Professor Usop of the Dayak People's Association claims that the massacres by the Dayak were in self-defense, after the Dayak were attacked. It was claimed that a Dayak was tortured and killed by a gang of Madurese following a gambling dispute in the nearby village of Kerengpangi on December 17, 2000. Another version claims that the conflict started in a brawl between students of different races at the same school.

Decapitations of Madurese

At least 300 Madurese were decapitated by the Dayak during the conflict. The Dayak have a long history in the ritual practice of

headhunting Headhunting is the practice of hunting a human and collecting the severed head after killing the victim, although sometimes more portable body parts (such as ear, nose or scalp) are taken instead as trophies. Headhunting was practiced i ...

, though the practice was thought to have gradually died out in the early 20th century as it was discouraged by the Dutch colonial rulers.

Response by authorities

The scale of the massacre and intensity of the aggression made it difficult for the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distin ...

and the

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest a ...

to control the situation in Central Kalimantan. Reinforcements were sent in to help existing military personnel in the province. By February 18, the Dayak assumed control over Sampit. Police arrested a local official believed to have been one of the masterminds behind the attacks. The masterminds are suspected of paying six men to provoke the riot in Sampit. The police also arrested a number of Dayak rioters following the initial murder spree. A few days later, on February 21, thousands of Dayak surrounded a police station in Palangkaraya demanding the release of Dayak detainees. The Indonesian police succumbed to this demand given that they were vastly outnumbered by the aggressive Dayak. By February 28, the Indonesian military had managed to clear the Dayak off the streets and restore order, but sporadic violence continued throughout the year.

References

{{reflist, 2 2001 in Indonesia 2001 riots 2001 murders in Indonesia 21st-century mass murder in Indonesia Central Kalimantan Conflicts in 2001 Ethnic conflicts in Indonesia Ethnic riots Headhunting Riots and civil disorder in Indonesia

Background

Decapitations of Madurese

Response by authorities

See also

References