27 killed at fresh Ambon violence
AMBON, Maluku (JP): Sectarian clashes continued in Ambon on Thursday, bringing the death toll to 27 since violence first re- erupted on Tuesday.
Six people were killed on Thursday when mobs rampaged through Ahuru subdistrict, five kilometers east of here, burning the Waihoka community health post, the Petra church and dozens of houses in the area.
Ahuru is a hilly area which separates Muslim and Christian communities. The area hosts several important buildings such as the provincial council office, the governor's residence, a sports hall and five other important government offices.
Research conducted at Bakti Rahayu Private Hospital, Maluku Protestant Church Hospital (GPM) and Al Fatah Hospital revealed that the victims had died from gunshot wounds.
Access to Dr. Haulussy General Hospital was blocked by a mob on Thursday.
Witnesses said hundreds of men attired in either white or black dress attacked homes in the Ahuru area before burning them down.
"Since this morning they (the mobs) have burned dozens of houses here," an Ahuru resident said, adding that security forces were not doing much to stop them.
Two people were killed in Muslim-Christian street clashes on Tuesday, and at least another 17 were killed on Wednesday when security forces opened fire to disperse warring mobs.
Of the 17 civilian fatalities, 13 were killed in a clash near the border of the predominantly Muslim Batu Merah area and its neighboring Christian Mardika area, as well as downtown on Jl. A.Y. Patti and Jl. A.M. Sangaji.
Police First Sgt. Alfian Hasanussi, the son of the Maluku chapter's Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) chief Lt. Col. R.R. Hasanussi and Pvt. Nurdin Sapari of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) 303th Battalion died in Wednesday's clashes.
Ambon Sector Commander Col. Irwan Kusnadi was also reportedly shot in the jaw during the rioting on Wednesday and has been flown to Jakarta for emergency treatment.
The three days of rioting is the first major eruption of violence in the city this month. On April 30 six people were killed and over 10 others injured near Ambon's port, and at least 40 houses in Karang Panjang, Ahuru, Mardika and Paradise were razed.
Thousands of residents have thronged Maluku Police Headquarters, the Cathedral Church and several other "neutral" buildings seeking refuge.
Local people regretted the renewed clashes and blamed security personnel for failing to anticipate the attacks. They also said a few soldiers were spotted assisting in the violence.
The fresh fighting came just days after hundreds of Laskar Jihad (Jihad Force) Ahlus Sunah Wal Jamaah Communication Forum members arrived in the capital of Maluku. Their numbers were estimated to reach up to 2,200 people.
Authorities discouraged their departure to Ambon, but were unable to prevent them because they were unarmed when they entered the Maluku islands having left from Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya, East Java. Thousands of recruits underwent military training in a camp at Bogor, West Java, last month.
As of 10 p.m. local time bomb explosions and gunfire were still heard in several parts of Ambon.
Pattimura Military Commander Brig. Gen. Max Tamaela and Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina could not immediately be reached for comment as they are reportedly discussing how to handle the Laskar Jihad with the central government. The two are expected to meet with President Abdurrahman Wahid on Friday.
In Jakarta, National Police spokesman Col. Saleh Saaf was quoted by detik.com as saying that 7,000 police personnel would be dispatched to Ambon to replace the existing force.
"The personnel now in Ambon need replacing. They are psychologically tired," Saleh said. (49/edt)