Borneo police fire on Dayak protesters

President Wahid's visit comes amid growing pressure from critics for him to quit

PALANGKARAYA, Indonesia -- Riot police in the Indonesian province of Kalimantan have fired on a crowd of protesting ethnic Dayaks.

The violence came shortly after President Abdurrahman Wahid held talks with Dayak leaders in a bid to resolve weeks of ethnic violence in the province that officials say has left nearly 500 dead.

At least four people were shot as police opened fire in the city of Palangkaraya, capital of Central Kalimantan province.

The province has been the scene of weeks of ethnic violence between the indigenous Dayaks and settlers from elsewhere in Indonesia, mainly from the island of Madura.

Officials say nearly 500 Madurese have been killed by gangs of Dayaks armed with spears and machete who are trying to drive the Madurese from what they say is their land.

Many of the dead, including young children, have been beheaded and mutilated.

Earlier Wahid tried to reassure the fleeing Madurese that they would be protected.

"The Madurese should be returned to their homes if possible, if not they should be relocated," he said.

Pressure to quit

President Wahid's visit to the province comes shortly after his return from a controversial visit to the Middle East and Africa.

Critics, many of them calling for his resignation, have condemned the president for not returning home earlier when the violence first broke out.

During his visit Wahid called for an investigation into human rights abuses in the province and promised to reconcile the warring ethnic factions.

However, hundreds of defiant Dayaks took to streets vowing to keep Madurese out of the province and saying the violence would not stop until the last settler had left.

Dayak leaders -- who have given the Madurese the ultimatum of quit the province or be killed - say they have so far killed almost 3,000 settlers.

On the island of Madura itself, reports say two Dayak men were killed by Madurese refugees Thursday in what police say was an apparent revenge attack.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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