Maluku bleeds again as fresh violence erupts

AMBON, Maluku (JP): Hopes that President Abdurrahman Wahid's visit to Ambon would usher in an era of peace quickly faded as renewed violence broke out in riot-torn Maluku on Tuesday.

The calm which had settled over Ambon the past week was disrupted as shots rang out in the afternoon after an earlier arson attack on a house.

An empty house belonging to the A. Geritz family on Jl. Dr. Sutomo was attacked about noon local time. Witnesses said they heard a loud blast just before fire razed the home, located about 50 meters from Ambon Police Headquarters.

Police quickly blocked off the area but it took fire engines 35 minutes to arrive at the scene.

According to residents, the owners of the house had long ago fled the violence in Ambon.

Two hours after the arson attack, a man identified as La Fada, 20, was shot in his right leg as he was walking in Yos Sudarso Port. The victim was rushed to Al Fatah Hospital.

Witnesses said the shot was fired by a man from inside a Kijang van.

Locals expressed fear the two incidents in the capital would spark wider unrest as people gathered at the scenes of the attacks.

However, police and military personnel diffused the situation by appealing to residents not to be provoked.

President Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri visited Ambon on Sunday in an attempt to resolve the year-long conflict which has claimed some 1,000 lives.

But no new proposals for finding a lasting solution to violence in the province were presented during the much anticipated visit. Abdurrahman simply said it was the people of Maluku themselves who had to settle their differences if they wanted peace.

On Monday, three people were killed and four others injured when a communal clash broke out in Seriholo village, in Maluku's Seram Island.

The dead were identified as Daniel Seriholo, Seles Sahetapy and Abubakar Wakano. The injured were identified as Musa, Edy Frans, Yonathan Frans and Tinus Hukakale.

The clash erupted at about 10 a.m. between residents of Hualoy and Seriholo villages.

Witnesses described residents brandishing sharp weapons as they attacked and damaged at least 50 houses and places of worship which had only recently been rebuilt in the village.

Police and military personnel in Central Maluku were deployed to prevent the violence from spreading.

"Seriholo village was also attacked by angry mobs several months ago and they destroyed everything. We've only just started to rebuild things and now we have nothing," Natanel Elako, a local leader, said on Tuesday.

Central Maluku Police chief Lt. Col. Benny Van Bulouw said that as of Tuesday the situation was under control, adding that the motive behind the attack was still being investigated.

"We urge people not to be easily provoked and please, restrain yourselves and avoid further bloodshed," Benny said.

In a separate development, Minister of Religious Affairs Tolchah Hasan said in Jakarta on Tuesday damaged places of worship and government offices in Ambon would be rebuilt according to reconciliation efforts in the city.

During a hearing at the House of Representatives, Tolchah said he would use the reconstruction as a vehicle for reconciling the people of Ambon.

He further asserted that proposals to partition Ambon to separate feuding factions was unnecessary.

"I don't see any urgency in doing that," Tolchah said in reply to suggestions by some legislators that a line of demarcation be drawn to prevent further bloodshed.

Meanwhile Vice President Megawati continued to tour the Maluku area.

Megawati who left Ambon for Biak, Irian Jaya, on Monday, was warmly greeted with a traditional procession when she arrived in Ternate, the capital of the newly created province of North Maluku on Tuesday.

During the two-hour stopover, North Maluku Governor Surasmin told Megawati that as a result of violence the province had incurred damages of over Rp 100 billion.

He noted that over 3,000 homes were either damaged or scorched, not to mention various other public facilities.

Megawati during the meeting told local leaders that dialog must be the main avenue for settling disputes and that the country must remained united. (48/edt)