Gunshots alarm local residents

AMBON, Maluku: Gunshots late on Friday caused panic among residents of a mainly Muslim neighborhood in riot-torn Ambon city, the capital of Maluku province.

Hundreds of men in the neighborhood in Wainitu subdistrict ran out of their homes to see what was happening.

The shots were reportedly fired into the air by police officers after a motorcyclist refused to stop as ordered by the officers.

"It was unnecessary to fire shots into the air. This action could have caused anxiety among Muslims performing the fast," said Dani Nirahua, a Christian who lives in Wainitu subdistrict. -- JP