Gunshots alarm local residents

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