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. Despite being replaced as governor by the New Order government a year earlier, Oeray still had significant influence in Dayak communities.
After the Chinese residents were expelled, many of their abandoned properties were occupied by Madurese migrants, leading to renewed ethnic tensions. 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.
In 1979, major riots occurred between the Dayak and Madurese in Samalantan again after a Dayak man was killed in Sendoreng. One story says a small group of Madurese killed the Dayak man after a disagreement over a debt; another says it was over a grass-cutting dispute. Dayak locals in Samalantan and Monterado spread the "red bowl [id]" to mobilize fighters in surrounding areas. The fighting raged over a period of a few days, until the military intervened and ended the conflict. Most estimates put the fatalities at around 20, with around 50 to 100 houses burned, although some estimates are much higher. Most of the victims were Madurese. A peace monument was built in Samalantan in the aftermath of the conflict.
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. 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. The peace monument from the 1979 conflict was also destroyed during the 1997 riots.
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. The perpetrators were unknown, but the Madurese were widely blamed. The Samalantan district chief said that, based on the witness statement, the actual perpetrators were Dayak, but that "no one wants to hear this". Within an hour of the victim's body being returned, Madurese homes in Jirak hamlet, Samalantan village, were already being burned. Soon, Madurese homes throughout the district were burned. Many Madurese fled into the jungle, where they were hunted, and potentially hundreds in Samalantan were killed. The 1997 and 1999 riots led to the almost complete elimination of the Madurese from the district.
