Sambas riots

Sambas riots
Part of post-Suharto era
Location of the regency (kabupaten) within the province of West Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.
Location	Sambas Regency, West Kalimantan, Indonesia
Date	1999
Deaths	200–1,000 (overwhelming Madurese)

The Sambas riots were an outbreak of inter-ethnic violence in Indonesia in 1999 in the regency of Sambas, West Kalimantan province and involved the Madurese on one side and an alliance of the indigenous Dayak people and Sambas Malays on the other.

Background

The Sambas riots in 1999 were not an isolated incident, as there had been previous incidents of violence between the Dayaks and the Madurese. The last major conflict, the Sanggau Ledo riots, occurred between December 1996 and January 1997, and resulted in more than 600 deaths. ^[1] The Madurese first arrived in Borneo in 1930 under the transmigration program initiated by the Dutch colonial administration, and continued by the Indonesian government. ^[2]

Massacres

After a Madurese mob massacred Malays in Parit Setia while they were exiting the local mosque after performing the Muslim Eid al-Fitr prayer, Malay mobs began large anti-Madurese riots. Later, Dayak mobs joined forces with the Malay. ^[3] The Indonesian government did little to stop the violence. ^[4] Some of the Indonesian soldiers that were sent to quell the riots were attacked by the Sambas Malays and Dayaks. ^{[5] [6] [7] [8] [9]}

Aftermath

Fatalities

Death toll estimates for Sambas riots

Deaths	Author(s)	Year
416 [a]	Sambas Regency government [10]	1999
489 [b]	Department of Defense [11] [c]	2002
200–500 [d]	UNDP, Bappenas, and PSPK-UGM [12]	2007
3000 minimum [e]	Harsono, et al. [13] [14] [f]	2009
481	Tadjoeddin [16] [g]	2014
390	Sukandar et al. [17] [h]	2015

Estimates of the death toll during the riots vary widely, usually ranging from 200 to 2,000 deaths. ^[18] Exact counts are difficult due to many of the bodies being mutilated and cannibalized. ^[19] The Madurese constituted the vast majority of the victims, ^[20] with most being decapitated. ^[21]

The official estimates range from close to 200 to almost 500 deaths. A police report in April 1999 recorded 177 deaths, along with 77 serious injuries. ^[22] The Sambas Regency government estimated the number of deaths at 416, including 401 Madurese, 14 Malays, and 1 Dayak. ^[23] Another official death toll released put the number of deaths at 186, including 154 Madurese. ^[24] Later, the Indonesian Department of Defense estimated 489 deaths, as well as 169 people who were severely injured. ^[25]

Many scholars also put the likely range at around 200 to 500. ^{[26] [27] [28]} Gerry van Klinken estimated at least 186 deaths, based on the official death toll, while saying that it could potentially be much higher, although fewer than 500. ^[29] A report by the United Nations Development Programme, the Ministry of National Development Planning, and Gadjah Mada University's Centre for Rural and Regional Development Studies also estimated around 200 to 500 Madurese deaths. ^[30]

Some scholars estimate higher numbers. Zaenuddin Hudi Prasojo and Ach Tijani estimated around 1,000 deaths. ^[31] At the high end, the Pontianak Appeal, which was signed by 77 specialists in West Kalimantan issues, said there were more than 3,000 Madurese deaths. ^[32]

Further massacres

In 2001, another conflict broke out between the Madurese and Dayak that resulted in hundreds of deaths. It became known as the Sampit conflict. ^[33]

See also

• Indonesia portal

• Cannibalism in Asia § Sumatra and Borneo
• Fall of Suharto
• Sampit conflict
• Sanggau Ledo riots
• Tarakan riot

Notes

1. Including 401 Madurese, 14 Malays, and 1 Dayak.
2. Along with 168 serious injuries.
3. Has since been renamed to the Ministry of Defense.
4. Only including Madurese.
5. Only including Madurese.
6. In the "Seruan Pontianak" (Pontianak Appeal), an article signed by 77 specialists in West Kalimantan issues. ^[15]
7. Using the UNSFIR conflict database.
8. Using data from the National Violence Monitoring System.

References

1. "Indonesia: The Violence in Central Kalimantan (Borneo)". Human Rights Watch. 28 February 2001. Retrieved 13 August 2008.
2. Tri Nuke Pudjiastuti (June 2002). "Immigration and Conflict in Indonesia" (PDF). IUSSP Regional Population Conference, Bangkok. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 11, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2008.
3. Professor Timo Kivimaki (28 December 2012). Can Peace Research Make Peace?: Lessons in Academic Diplomacy. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 24. ISBN   978-1-4094-7188-2 . Retrieved 20 March 2014.
4. Aglionby, John (20 March 1999). "Renewed ethnic violence hits Indonesia as 62 die in Borneo". The Guardian.
5. Leff 2010
6. Braithwaite et al. 2010 , p. 299
7. Hedman, Eva-Lotta E. (2008). Conflict, Violence, and Displacement in Indonesia. SEAP Publications. p. 73. ISBN   978-0-87727-745-3 . Retrieved 20 March 2014.
8. Bowen, John Richard (29 May 2003). Islam, Law, and Equality in Indonesia: An Anthropology of Public Reasoning. Cambridge University Press. p. 62. ISBN   978-0-521-53189-4 . Retrieved 20 March 2014.
9. Dawis, Aimee (2009). The Chinese of Indonesia and Their Search for Identity: The Relationship Between Collective Memory and the Media. Cambria Press. p. 90. ISBN   978-1-60497-606-9 . Retrieved 20 March 2014.
10. Tanasaldy 2012 , p. 215
11. Dephan 2002
12. UNDP, Bappenas & PSPK-UGM 2007 , p. 144
13. Harsono 2009
14. Kivimäki 2012 , p. 300
15. Kivimäki 2012, p. 300
16. Tadjoeddin 2014 , p. 76
17. Sukandar et al. 2015 , p. 31
18. Kivimäki 2012 , p. 300
19. Leff 2010
20. Achwan et al. 2005 , p. xi
21. Ubaedillah 2022 , p. 292
22. Kurniawan, Sirait & Muslim 2021 , p. 176
23. Tanasaldy 2012 , p. 215
24. Prayudi 2021 , p. 501
25. Dephan 2002
26. Braithwaite et al. 2010 , p. 299
27. Achwan et al. 2005 , p. 31
28. Bamba 2004 , p. 134
29. van Klinken 2008 , p. 39
30. UNDP, Bappenas & PSPK-UGM 2007 , p. 144
31. Prasojo & Tijani 2024 , p. 4
32. Kivimäki 2012 , p. 300
33. Aglionby, John (24 February 2001). "Jakarta's men watch as killers run riot". The Guardian.

Sources

• Achwan, Rochman; Nugroho, Hari; Prayogo, Dody; Hadi, Suprayoga (2005). Overcoming Violent Conflict: Volume 1, Peace and Development Analysis in West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and Madura. CPRU-UNDP, LabSosio and Bappenas. ISBN   979-99878-2-2 . Retrieved 11 December 2025– via ResearchGate.
• Bamba, John (2004). "Ethnic Violence in West Kalimantan". In Tauli-Corpuz, Victoria; Cariño, Joji (eds.). Reclaiming Balance: Indigenous Peoples, Conflict Resolution and Sustainable Development. Tebtebba Foundation. ISBN   971-92846-3-3 . Retrieved 1 February 2026.
• Braithwaite, John; Braithwaite, Valerie; Cookson, Michael; Dunn, Leah (2010). Anomie and Violence: Non-truth and reconciliation in Indonesian peacebuilding (PDF). ANU E Press. ISBN   9781921666230 . Retrieved 30 November 2025.
• "Peristiwa Sambas" (in Indonesian). Departemen Pertahanan Republik Indonesia. 2002. Archived from the original on 8 November 2002. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
• Harsono, Andreas (28 September 2009). "Seruan Pontianak" (in Indonesian). Retrieved 11 December 2025.
• Kivimäki, Timo (2012). "What Generates, Constitutes and Causes Opportunity-driven Violence? The Case of West Kalimantan" . Asian Journal of Political Science. 20 (3). Routledge. doi:10.1080/02185377.2012.748971 . Retrieved 10 December 2025.
• Kurniawan, Syamsul; Sirait, Sangkot; Muslim, Azis (2021). "Ethnic Stereotyping and Intra-Religious Conflict: The Experience of Muslims in Sambas of the Indonesian West Borneo". Al-Albab. 10 (2). Pascasarjana IAIN Pontianak. doi:10.24260/alalbab.v10i2.2090 . Retrieved 28 January 2026.
• Leff, Rachel (1 April 2010). "Violence in Indonesian Borneo Spurs the Relocation of Ethnic Madurese". Cultural Survival. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
• Prasojo, Zaenuddin Hudi; Tijani, Ach (8 October 2024). "Embracing Multiculturalism and Fostering Political Stability in Pontianak (West Kalimantan)". ISEAS Perspective. 2024 (80). Yusof Ishak Institute. ISSN   2335-6677 . Retrieved 28 January 2026.
• Prayudi (2021). "Analysis of ethnic violence in Indonesia during the period of new order" (PDF). International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Growth Evaluation. 2 (3). Anfo Publication House. ISSN   2582-7138 . Retrieved 24 January 2026.
• Sukandar, Rudi; Karib, Fathun; Hutagalung, Vidya; Cholid, Sofyan; Rasyid, Imron; Peranto, Sopar; Putra, R. Praditya Andika; Ansori, Mohammad Hasan; Efendi, Johari (May 2015). Kapasitas Lembaga dan Dinamika Pencegahan Konflik: Studi Kasus Kalimantan Barat dan Nusa Tenggara Barat (in Indonesian). The Habibie Center. ISBN   978-602-14261-5-9 . Retrieved 6 December 2025.
• Tadjoeddin, Mohammad Zulfan (2014). Explaining Collective Violence in Contemporary Indonesia: From Conflict to Cooperation. Palgrave Macmillan. doi:10.1057/9781137270641. ISBN   978-1-137-27064-1 . Retrieved 1 December 2025– via Springer Nature.
• Tanasaldy, Taufiq (2012). Regime Change and Ethnic Politics in Indonesia: Dayak Politics of West Kalimantan. KITLV Press. ISBN   978 90 6718 389 5 . Retrieved 11 December 2025– via OAPEN Foundation.
• Ubaedillah, Achmad (October 2022). "When ethnicity is stronger than religion: A look into Dayaks and Madurese Conflicts in Kalimantan, Indonesia". Refleksi. 21 (2). Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta . Retrieved 28 January 2026– via ResearchGate.
• Justice For All?: An Assessment of Access to Justice in Five Provinces of Indonesia (PDF) (Report). United Nations Development Programme / Ministry of National Development Planning / Centre for Rural and Regional Development Studies at Gadjah Mada University. 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
• van Klinken, Gerry (April 2008). "Blood, timber, and the state in West Kalimantan, Indonesia" (PDF). Asia Pacific Viewpoint. 49 (1). Victoria University of Wellington. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8373.2008.00359.x. ISSN   1360-7456 . Retrieved 1 December 2025– via University of Missouri-St. Louis.