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)