'Ambon strife has economic roots'

'Ambon strife has economic roots'

JAKARTA: Recent bloody incidents in the Maluku provincial capital, Ambon, have been caused by ongoing economic problems and not religious differences, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla said on Monday.

"It is not about religion or religious differences anymore," Jusuf said at the State Palace, adding that the government was scheduled to discuss economic conditions in Maluku soon.

Strife-torn Maluku has been ravaged by a three-year sectarian conflict that has claimed thousands of lives.

Jusuf said that an issue that needed immediate attention was the high rate of unemployment in Maluku, which often caused friction between locals that led to violent brawls, and then bloody clashes.

He cited the July 25 clash between a driver and a local hoodlum. A day later, a bomb exploded in Mardika, Ambon, causing 54 people to sustain severe injuries.

"There is a possibility that competition between rival gangs, over which gets more 'security money' from locals, is growing more fierce," Jusuf said, stating that clashes were leading to the further destruction of infrastructure following rehabilitation.--Antara