27 killed at fresh Ambon violence
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)