Draft:Samalantan

Ethnic riots

In 1967, the former West Kalimantan governor, Oevaang Oeray, held a meeting in Samalantan with Dayak leaders where he called on them to expel the ethnic Chinese from the area.^[8] Despite being replaced as governor by the New Order government a year earlier, Oeray still had significant influence in Dayak communities.^[9]

After the Chinese residents were expelled, many of their abandoned properties were occupied by Madurese migrants, leading to renewed ethnic tensions.^[10] The first significant clash in Samalantan between the Madurese and Dayaks occurred in 1977, after a Dayak police officer was killed in Pontianak by a Madurese man. Dozens of houses were burned and several people were killed.^[11]

In 1979, major riots occurred between the Dayak and Madurese in Samalantan again after a Dayak man was killed in Sendoreng.^[a][13] One story says a small group of Madurese killed the Dayak man after a disagreement over a debt;^[14] another says it was over a grass-cutting dispute.^[15] Dayak locals in Samalantan and Monterado spread the "red bowl [id]" to mobilize fighters in surrounding areas.^[16] The fighting raged over a period of a few days, until the military intervened and ended the conflict.^[17] Most estimates put the fatalities at around 20, with around 50 to 100 houses burned,^[18][19][20] although some estimates are much higher. Most of the victims were Madurese.^[21] A peace monument was built in Samalantan in the aftermath of the conflict.^[22]

Another Madurese-Dayak clash in Samalantan occurred in 1997, during the Sanggau Ledo riots. After the riots began in Sanggau Ledo, the head of Samalantan district held a meeting with Dayak and Madurese leaders. The Madurese agreed to disarm in exchange for security guarantees. Shortly after, a Dayak mob, mostly from within the district, attacked Madurese areas, burning around 765 houses.^[23] After a pause in the fighting, Madurese groups retaliated, burning down a few houses and killing one Dayak man. The "red bowl" began to be passed in Samalantan in response, leading to renewed mass-violence.^[24] The peace monument from the 1979 conflict was also destroyed during the 1997 riots.^[25]

In 1999, renewed clashes occurred during the Sambas riots. Originally between Malays and Madurese, the riots spread to Samalantan district after a Dayak man from Samalantan was killed.^[26] The perpetrators were unknown, but the Madurese were widely blamed.^[27][28] The Samalantan district chief said that, based on the witness statement, the actual perpetrators were Dayak, but that "no one wants to hear this".^[29] Within an hour of the victim's body being returned, Madurese homes in Jirak hamlet, Samalantan village, were already being burned.^[30] Soon, Madurese homes throughout the district were burned.^[31] Many Madurese fled into the jungle, where they were hunted,^[32] and potentially hundreds in Samalantan were killed.^[33] The 1997 and 1999 riots led to the almost complete elimination of the Madurese from the district.^[34]

Religion

In 2020, there were 4,401 Muslims, 10,965 Protestants, and 8,279 Catholics in the district. There were also 46 people professing other beliefs, mostly Buddhism.^[35] As of 2024, the district has 15 mosques, a musalla, 52 Protestant churches, and 12 Catholic churches.^[36] It has one of the highest number of Protestant churches of any district in Bengkayang Regency.^[37] It was also reported to have 6 Chinese temples in 2020.^[38]

Ethnicity

Madurese made up a significant part of the population before the 1997 Sanggau Ledo riots and 1999 Sambas riots, with over 8,091 Madurese people in the district.^[39] Another estimate by Mohammad Adib at Airlangga University put the number at 18,059.^[40] In the 2000 census, of the remaining 38,457 residents, around 71% were Dayak and 14% were Malay.^[41] Only 13 Madurese people remained in the district.^[42] In 2019, around 3% of the population were Madurese, while Dayaks made up around 43%.^[43]