At least 30 killed in fresh communal clashes in Maluku

At least 30 killed in fresh communal clashes in Maluku

JAKARTA (JP): At least 30 people in Southeast Maluku have died
and dozens of others were injured in communal clashes between
Muslims and Christians, Antara reported over the weekend.

Violence and arson occurred in several villages in remote
areas of the regency's islands of Kai Besar and Tual.

The small cluster of islands is about 540 kilometers southeast
of the Maluku capital of Ambon, which was recently rocked by
sectarian violence.

Military district chief Lt. Col. Ery Susanto said from the
regency capital of Tual that least 10 people were killed in
separate clashes on Friday and Saturday in several Kai Besar
subdistrict villages.

Hardest hit was Larat, where about 100 houses were burned by
mobs on Friday and early Saturday. Security personnel were
outnumbered, the news agency reported from Tual.

Also vandalized and set ablaze were a junior high school, a
community health center and a house of worship. Antara did not
specify whether it was a church or a mosque.

Some of the injured were among 400 Larat villagers evacuated
by the Kakap 881 Navy ship to a local hospital.

Ery said the attackers were from neighboring villages of
Sether, Kilwat, Ohoirenan and Tutrean.

He conceded the severity of the unrest was unexpected.

Following the riot in Larat, he said he dispatched 10 of his
personnel to the area.

"Sending even more troops would have been too late because
they wouldn't have been able to stop the emotional mobs from
recklessly burning and vandalizing everything," Susanto was
quoted as saying.

On Friday, Susanto said he concentrated his soldiers to watch
over in Elat subdistrict. A riot broke out in neighboring Larat
and Elat was subsequently hit in the afternoon, leading to two
deaths.

Fatalities

According to Antara, the 12 fatalities added to 17 others from
separate clashes that began in Tual last Wednesday. About 13,000
people have sought refuge at several public centers.

At least 90 houses were set on fire. Two schools and four cars
were also vandalized and burned.

On Saturday, the body of Johny Letelay, 48, was found in
Tual's Lestari Market.

Also on Saturday, another man identified by the news agency as
Cak Erlerly, 46, was stopped and beaten until he was comatose
near the Tual harbor.

He is undergoing treatment at Hati Kudus Langgur Hospital.

"The victim presumably wanted to buy a ticket to return to
his hometown (when he was attacked)," Ery told the news agency.

Also on Saturday, houses were reportedly burned in the Kampung
Baru enclave of the city. The fire spread to a nearby motel in
Wearhir.

No casualties were reported.

More than 200 people were killed in devastating communal
clashes that broke out in January and lasted for over a month in
Ambon. The unrest forced tens of thousands to flee the area,
formerly held up as a model of religious harmony.

Maluku military commander Col. Karel Ralahalu has ordered his
troops to "disable" people who deliberately flouted his calls for
restraint. Security authorities have also demarcated areas
between the hostile groups.

The cause of the initial violence in Tual remains unclear, but
some residents claimed it was due to the discovery of anti-Muslim
graffiti in the mixed neighborhood of Wearhir.

Others said it began from the drunken antics of four market
guards. (aan)