Four people killed in latest violence in Central Maluku

Four people killed in latest violence in Central Maluku

AMBON, Maluku (JP): Fresh outbreaks of violence on Tuesday
left at least four people dead and a number of houses burned in
the Banda Islands of Central Maluku, 300 kilometers southeast of
here, reports and sources said on Wednesday.

Second class Sgt. Ranguli, speaking from the island's capital
of Neira, confirmed that four people were killed in the violence,
one on the island of Hatta and another three on the island of
Walang. However, another account said the latter three deaths
occurred in Neira.

Ranguli did not reveal the identities of the victims.

Another source in Neira contacted from here, a paramedic who
identified himself as Abdullah, could only confirm the one death
on Hatta Island.

Abdullah said another victim on Hatta sustained gunshot
injuries, while a victim on Walang sustained slash wounds.

Residents in Neira -- a predominantly Muslim town -- contacted
by The Jakarta Post said mobs set some 30 houses on fire on
Tuesday.

They said no churches were burned. Mobs did, however, remove
the pews from the town's only church and vandalize them, they
said.

On Wednesday, they said the situation was calm. Ranguli
confirmed this account.

Ranguli said Maluku Military Commander Col. Karel Ralahalu
arrived in Neira on Wednesday afternoon to assess the situation.
Karel also visited Hatta, an hour away by speedboat.

There were no confirmed reports on what sparked the violence.

However, the AFP reported on Wednesday, quoting Maluku Police
spokesman Maj. Philips Jekriel, that the violence was sparked
when police refused to give a local villager on Hatta Island a
permit to hold a marriage feast on Monday.

The following day, several people stoned the home of a man who
then filed a complaint with the police, it said.

It was unclear how the victim, identified as Martin Manusa,
was linked to the refusal to grant the permit -- but his
complaint led to the arrest of two attackers.

The families and friends of the two arrested men then attacked
and torched three houses belonging to Manusa's relatives, leaving
one person dead.

In Maluku, recent communal conflicts with religious overtones
have left close to 400 dead.

Meanwhile, Antara reported on Wednesday that the situation in
Aceh was calm after violence rocked Lhokseumawe, North Aceh, on
Tuesday, leaving two dead.

It reported, however, that a strike at the local legislature
office by some 500 public bus drivers paralyzed the town for
around four hours.

Accompanied by Yakob Hamzah, a representative from non-
governmental organization Iskandar Muda Legal Institute, the
drivers complained to legislators about the violence on Tuesday
which left many of their vehicles damaged.

In the South Sulawesi capital of Ujungpandang, in apparent
retaliation for the Istiqlal Mosque bombing which occurred in
Jakarta, mobs attacked a Christian complex on Monday night.

On Wednesday, the situation in Ujungpandang was tense as
hundreds of Muslim university students staged a street
demonstration against the mosque bombing.

In Jakarta, President B.J. Habibie received a strong message
from European investors on Wednesday that it would be very
difficult for them to invest here if there were no significant
improvements in the country's security.

Habibie's special business envoy to Europe, Hashim
Djojohadikusumo, said European exporters and importers remained
hesitant about continuing or opening businesses here because of
continued riots, including those in Maluku and West Kalimantan.

"Every time I meet with foreign investors they always complain
about the security situation," Hashim said after reporting the
results of his recent overseas visit to Habibie at Merdeka
Palace. (byg/27/nur/aan)