N. Maluku violence leaves one dead

N. Maluku violence leaves one dead

Oktovianus Pinontoan, The Jakarta Post, Ambon

Two bomb explosions in North Maluku's Tobelo district and fresh
clashes between two villages on Wednesday left one dead and
several houses burned, military reports said.

A mob from Gorua village attacked the neighboring Wari village
following the blasts, marking the first violent reaction to a
string of bomb explosion this year.

Marine personnel deployed in the area tried but failed to
prevent a group of Gorua locals armed with handmade weapons
storming Wari village, said Maluku military command spokesman
Maj. Herry Suhardi.

Gorua villagers burned down 13 houses and two offices, and
only left the scene after soldiers started to take action.

Sabri Islam, whose hails neither from Gorua or Wari but from
the village of Samsuge, died in the incident. The cause of his
death or the party which killed him has not been established.

A Wari local, Dance Duan, 35, was shot in the right foot.

"The perpetrators are being hunted down ... the situation had
returned to normal by 2 p.m.," Herry said.

It was not immediately clear what prompted the Gorua villagers
to initiate the attack.

Head of a human rights body in Tobelo, Nofino Lobiua, said in
a statement that the clash ensued after a car passing Gorua was
stoned by an unidentified group.

At about the same time a bomb explosion and a series of gun
shots were heard in the area between the villages.

Meanwhile in Tobelo, the Marines were holding a handover
ceremony from Marine Task Force IV to Marine Task Force V.

Maluku has been the scene of communal fighting between
Christians and Muslims since 1999. Although Indonesia is a
majority Muslim country, Muslims only make up about half the
population in Maluku.

Life in the conflict-torn province has been gradually
returning to normal after both sides signed a government-brokered
peace accord last February.

A series of bomb explosions since have threatened to shatter
the fragile peace accord.