Fresh violence rocks Maluku

Fresh violence rocks Maluku

JAKARTA (JP): Fresh communal violence erupted on Wednesday in
the Southeast Maluku town of Tual, where at least seven people
were wounded by bullets, arrows and machetes.

Roy Taha, a Muslim resident, told The Jakarta Post by phone
from Tual, some 540 kilometers southeast of the provincial
capital of Ambon, that the clashes started before dawn and forced
thousands of residents to flee to a number of nearby military
installations.

"The clashes broke out at 4 a.m. as Christians from Taar
village attacked Muslim residents in Wearhir, but the situation
is calm now, although it remains tense," said Roy, who lives on
Jl. Pattimura, which was at the center of Wednesday's violence.

He said Muslim residents then launched a counterattack against
Christians after the midday prayers.

AFP quoted a duty doctor at Tual General Hospital as saying
two people with gunshot wounds were admitted Wednesday afternoon.

It also quoted Nona Notanubud, who heads the same hospital, as
saying that three people, including a policeman, were brought in
earlier in the day, but only one, a civilian, seriously slashed
by a machete, needed significant treatment.

The news agency also reported that two more men, with arrow
and machete wounds, were treated at the Hati Kudus hospital in
Langgur, a town separated from Tual by a narrow strait.

Antara reported that at least two people were killed and a
dozen more were injured in the clashes.

The news agency also said that at least 10 houses were set on
fire in the clashes.

It identified two of the injured as John Tamher and Lakalai.

Meanwhile, Roy said that at least four people were killed in
the clashes.

"Two Christians were killed in the first clashes in the early
morning and another two were killed in the afternoon," Roy said.

He also said that a night curfew had been imposed on the town
and nearby areas.

Authorities could not be reached to confirm the reports.

Roy said the situation was tense in Tual and nearby Langgur
with shops and businesses closed after Muslims and Christians
clashed in the Wearhir area.

"People carrying sharp weapons were seen on the streets this
afternoon," Roy said.

Antara reported that troops blocked a bridge separating Tual
and Langgur to prevent the unrest from spreading.

It also said that troops fired shots to disperse the crowd
battling with machetes and spears.

The news agency said Irian Jaya-based Trikora Military
Commander Maj. Gen. Amir Sembiring, who arrived in Ambon on
Wednesday afternoon, and Maluku Military Chief Col. Karel
Ralahalu flew to Tual to calm down the residents.

It also said the violence in Tual had caused uneasiness in
Ambon, which has been calm for the past three weeks.

The state-owned TVRI quoted Karel as saying on Wednesday
evening that at least two people were injured, including one
security officer, by an arrow.

It also reported that at least one company of reinforcements
was transferred to Tual from Ambon.

It was not clear what had caused the violence but Roy said the
tension rose after the discovery of a piece of graffiti attacking
Islam in Wearhir on Sunday.

"There was writing which said that Prophet Muhammad was the
servant of Jesus," Roy said.

He blamed the violence on "instigators" who had fled violence
in Ambon earlier in the month.

Weeks of bloody clashes between Muslims and Christians in
Ambon and several other islands in Maluku province since mid-
January left almost 200 people dead and rampant destruction.
(byg)