Five killed in community clashes on Ambon island

Five killed in community clashes on Ambon island

AMBON, Maluku (JP): Community clashes broke out in three
villages on Ambon Island on Tuesday morning, claiming at least
five lives and destroying dozens of houses.

The clashes, which erupted separately at Hative Besar village
in Teluk Ambon Baguala district, Galala village in Sirimau
district and at Suli village in Salahutu district were believed
to be related to a series of recent clashes in neighboring
Saparua Island.

The three community clashes broke out on the first day of a
"week of mourning" declared by the All-Maluku Protestant Churches
calling for Christians to stay at home, pray and fast.

The clash in Hative Besar village, Teluk Ambon Baguala
district, broke out on Tuesday morning when hundreds of men, clad
in white Muslim clothes and suspected to be members of the Laskar
Jihad force, initiated the attack by firing mortars and shooting
sporadically.

Five locals died in the attack and at least 60 houses were
razed. Another resident was reported missing. The dead were taken
to Haulussy General Hospital in Ambon.

Dozens of Hative Besar residents were forced to flee their
village on speed boats and take refuge in the Gudang Arang and
Tapal Kuda areas in Nusaniwe district.

Security officers deployed to the location took measures to
drive the rioters out of the village.

Meanwhile, Tial and Tulehu residents launched on Tuesday
morning a second attack on neighboring Suli village. There were
no immediate reports on fatalities.

The first clash on Monday in Suli village injured six
residents and dozens of houses were destroyed. Hundreds took
refuge in nearby Passo village.

Tuesday's attack came after police had pledged, following
Monday's clash, to step up security by deploying five companies
of military soldiers and three battalions of Mobile Brigade
police along the border area between Suli and Tial villages.

In the third clash, residents from the Galunggung and Aster
Pantui area in Sirimau district in Ambon attacked Galala village.

The attack forced Galala residents to seek shelter at Halong
Naval base, some six kilometers east of Ambon.

One company of military soldiers and two others from the
Mobile Brigade police units were deployed to restore security in
the area while another two companies of Navy troops were
dispatched to seal off Ambon Bay to prevent the rioters from
entering neighboring areas.

Separately, three bombs exploded in the capital town of Ambon.
Two bombs were planted at Silo Church in the Trikora area and
another at the intersection of Jl. Raya Diponegoro and Jl.
Urimessing. No fatalities were reported in the bombings which
totally paralyzed the town.

Silo Church was destroyed during massive rioting on Dec. 26,
1999 but had since been rebuilt.

Antara news agency reported on Tuesday that a local priest was
taken away by people in military uniforms and that his
whereabouts remained unknown.

"We don't know whether they were soldiers or just civilians in
soldier's uniforms. We don't know where they took him or his
condition right now," a resident said. (49/lup)