Ambon police find military bullet cases at shooting site

Ambon police find military bullet cases at shooting site

Oktovianis Pinontoan, The Jakarta Post, Ambon, Maluku

Police investigators have discovered standard military bullet
cartridges at the site of a gunfight that claimed three lives on
Sunday.

Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Soenarko Danu Ardiyanto said on
Monday that 20 cartridges of various standard military bullets
were found at Kulur beach, Saparua Island, Central Maluku almost
immediately after the shooting.

The police, he said, discovered 7.1 millimeter caliber bullet
cases from AK-47 rifles, 7.62 millimeter caliber cases from MK-
3s, 6.5 millimeter caliber cases from gerens, and 5.56 millimeter
caliber cases from SS1s.

Soenarko, however, refused to speculate on the type of weapons
used by the assailants.

"I don't want to draw any conclusions yet on the weapons used
as it has to be investigated further even though the cartridges
were of standard military issue," he said.

Three civilians, identified as Miftaul Ulung, 28, Fitria
Litiloli, 11, and Fatimah Tuhulele, 10, were shot dead by
unidentified gunmen in Saparua, Central Maluku on Sunday,
triggering a bloody reprisal that killed one driver in Ambon
town.

The situation in Ambon town was relatively normal on Monday. A
celebration of National Sports Day, which falls on Sept. 9, was
organized at both the Maluku Municipality Office and the Maluku
Governor's Office.

"Up until today, no one has been detained in relation to the
shooting," said Soenarko, adding that the police were still
hunting the culprits.

Soenarko said the shooting took place just 400 meters from a
security post where the Mobile Brigade police personnel were
stationed.

"Upon hearing the shooting, Mobile Brigade members, assisted
by local people, went there immediately but could not arrest the
assailants since they had fled into the surrounding forest," he
said.

Two explosions also rocked Ambon late Sunday but no damage or
casualties were reported.

In Jakarta, defense minister Matori Abdul Djalil said that the
situation in Ambon did not warrant the deployment of more troops.

"Security issues in conflict-torn areas, including Ambon, can
be handled by existing personnel," Matori was quoted by Antara as
saying on Monday.

Ambon is still reeling from a bloody bombing on Sept. 5 which
left four people dead, including three high school girls, and
seven injured.

The Maluku islands, of which Ambon is the main city, have been
the scene of fighting between Muslims and Christians which has
left close to 10,000 dead since conflict broke out in January
1999.

The latest violence could further undermine the fragile pact
signed in February.

Ambon has seen intermittent violence since the peace pact was
signed. At least 54 people were injured when homemade bombs
exploded at an Ambon market on July 27.

Many have said that soldiers and police are taking sides in
the conflict.

A state of civil emergency is in effect as part of efforts to
halt the violence.