Australian killed in robbery

JAKARTA: An Australian businessman was shot to death by a gang of masked men who robbed him of more than US$10,000, police said Wednesday.

Bernard Keith Moore was gunned down on Monday in his office in Tembeling village on Bintan island in Indonesia's western Riau province, said Riau Police Capt. Heri Heriawan.

Bintan, about 20 kilometers south of Singapore, is the site of numerous foreign-invested factories.

Moore, 58, was the manager of PT Anugrah Buana Bahari Abadi, a sand exporting company. He arrived in Bintan two years ago.

The six robbers also took cellular phones, watches and a bracelet from two workers who were with Moore, Heriawan said.

"The robbers fired at Moore when he refused to hand over his car keys," said Heriawan. The robbers apparently intended to use the car to take them to their speedboat at the company's pier, he added.

Police were still searching for the robbers and were questioning several security guards who witnessed the attack, Heriawan said. --AP