Mamua returns to normal

AMBON, Maluku: The situation in Mamua hamlet, Central Maluku regency, resumed a state of normalcy on Saturday, following a communal clash that left one person dead and seven injured.

Most Mamua residents, who had taken refuge in safer areas after the two-day clash that began on Wednesday, had apparently returned to their houses. The hamlet was still heavily guarded by dozens of police, who were deployed to the area on Thursday.

Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Adityawarman said they were tracking down the provocateurs of the clash.

The incident was triggered on Wednesday by a minor misunderstanding between a Wakal man and a Mamua woman who had attended a wedding reception in Mamua. A person was stabbed and killed in the ensuing clash between Wakal and Mamua residents that continued the next day, when seven people were injured. -- JP