27 killed at fresh Ambon violence<\/p>\n
AMBON, Maluku (JP): Sectarian clashes continued in Ambon on
\nThursday, bringing the death toll to 27 since violence first re-
\nerupted on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Six people were killed on Thursday when mobs rampaged through
\nAhuru subdistrict, five kilometers east of here, burning the
\nWaihoka community health post, the Petra church and dozens of
\nhouses in the area.<\/p>\n
Ahuru is a hilly area which separates Muslim and Christian
\ncommunities. The area hosts several important buildings such as
\nthe provincial council office, the governor's residence, a sports
\nhall and five other important government offices.<\/p>\n
Research conducted at Bakti Rahayu Private Hospital, Maluku
\nProtestant Church Hospital (GPM) and Al Fatah Hospital revealed
\nthat the victims had died from gunshot wounds.<\/p>\n
Access to Dr. Haulussy General Hospital was blocked by a mob
\non Thursday.<\/p>\n
Witnesses said hundreds of men attired in either white or
\nblack dress attacked homes in the Ahuru area before burning them
\ndown.<\/p>\n
\"Since this morning they (the mobs) have burned dozens of
\nhouses here,\" an Ahuru resident said, adding that security forces
\nwere not doing much to stop them.<\/p>\n
Two people were killed in Muslim-Christian street clashes on
\nTuesday, and at least another 17 were killed on Wednesday when
\nsecurity forces opened fire to disperse warring mobs.<\/p>\n
Of the 17 civilian fatalities, 13 were killed in a clash near
\nthe border of the predominantly Muslim Batu Merah area and its
\nneighboring Christian Mardika area, as well as downtown on Jl.
\nA.Y. Patti and Jl. A.M. Sangaji.<\/p>\n
Police First Sgt. Alfian Hasanussi, the son of the Maluku
\nchapter's Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) chief Lt. Col. R.R.
\nHasanussi and Pvt. Nurdin Sapari of the Army's Strategic Reserves
\nCommand (Kostrad) 303th Battalion died in Wednesday's clashes.<\/p>\n
Ambon Sector Commander Col. Irwan Kusnadi was also reportedly
\nshot in the jaw during the rioting on Wednesday and has been
\nflown to Jakarta for emergency treatment.<\/p>\n
The three days of rioting is the first major eruption of
\nviolence in the city this month. On April 30 six people were
\nkilled and over 10 others injured near Ambon's port, and at least
\n40 houses in Karang Panjang, Ahuru, Mardika and Paradise were
\nrazed.<\/p>\n
Thousands of residents have thronged Maluku Police
\nHeadquarters, the Cathedral Church and several other \"neutral\"
\nbuildings seeking refuge.<\/p>\n
Local people regretted the renewed clashes and blamed security
\npersonnel for failing to anticipate the attacks. They also said a
\nfew soldiers were spotted assisting in the violence.<\/p>\n
The fresh fighting came just days after hundreds of Laskar
\nJihad (Jihad Force) Ahlus Sunah Wal Jamaah Communication Forum
\nmembers arrived in the capital of Maluku. Their numbers were
\nestimated to reach up to 2,200 people.<\/p>\n
Authorities discouraged their departure to Ambon, but were
\nunable to prevent them because they were unarmed when they
\nentered the Maluku islands having left from Tanjung Perak Port in
\nSurabaya, East Java. Thousands of recruits underwent military
\ntraining in a camp at Bogor, West Java, last month.<\/p>\n
As of 10 p.m. local time bomb explosions and gunfire were
\nstill heard in several parts of Ambon.<\/p>\n
Pattimura Military Commander Brig. Gen. Max Tamaela and Maluku
\nGovernor Saleh Latuconsina could not immediately be reached for
\ncomment as they are reportedly discussing how to handle the
\nLaskar Jihad with the central government. The two are expected to
\nmeet with President Abdurrahman Wahid on Friday.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, National Police spokesman Col. Saleh Saaf was
\nquoted by detik.com as saying that 7,000 police personnel would
\nbe dispatched to Ambon to replace the existing force.<\/p>\n
\"The personnel now in Ambon need replacing. They are
\npsychologically tired,\" Saleh said. (49\/edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/27-killed-at-fresh-ambon-violence-1447893297",
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