One killed in latest Maluku religious clash

One killed in latest Maluku religious clash

JAKARTA (JP): Fresh violence broke out in riot-prone Maluku
province on Monday leaving one man dead, reports said.

The violence in the Muslim half of Siri Sori village on
Saparua Island was preceded by a Molotov cocktail attack by
Christian villagers before dawn, Abdul Majid, the head of the
Muslim side of Siri Sori village told The Jakarta Post by phone.

"People from the Christian side of Siri Sori village attacked
us with home-made bombs at around 2:30 a.m. and they were aided
by people from outside the village," Abdul said.

He said three of the 16 villages on Saparua island are Muslim
villages. "But Muslim Siri Sori is the only Muslim village in
Southeast Saparua," Abdul said.

He said the fighting in Muslim Siri Sori, about six kilometers
southeast of the main town Saparua, was still going on around
midday, with villagers carrying guns and other weapons.

"One man died and four others were injured," he said, adding a
police elite mobile brigade unit had been sent to the area.

A similar report was given by Antara who said a home-made bomb
exploded in southeast Saparua Island on Monday morning. It did
not give the exact site, however.

It said the military commander of Ambon and Lease islands, Lt.
Col. Aris Martanto, along with a group of religious leaders, the
local police chief and government officials were flown in from
the Maluku capital of Ambon by two helicopters to Saparua but
failed to reach the site.

"We could not reach the location as people carrying sharp
weapons crowded the roads from Saparua to the southeast part of
the island," Aris was quoted as saying upon his return to Ambon.

He was also quoted as saying that a woman wielding a machete
threatened the team not to enter the area.

Antara quoted a source at a monitoring post in Ambon as saying
that one person was killed and another was injured in the
incident.

It also quoted Ambon Mayor Chris Tanasale as saying on Monday
the city administration pledged to immediately rebuild the Gambus
and Gotong Royong markets to revive the city's economy.

Widespread clashes between Muslims and Christians have shaken
the Maluku islands since Jan. 19, claiming at least 105 lives and
causing over Rp 5 billion in property damage.

Earlier this month, violence also erupted in Hulaliu village
on Haruku island and in Saparua, in which 11 people were killed,
according to police. The Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI)
charged then that six people were actually shot by police
officers who ambushed the villagers, while the Justice Party said
the toll in that incident was actually much higher: 15 Muslims
and 13 Christians.

The initial violence in the city of Ambon, which erupted on
the Idul Fitri holiday, was sparked by a dispute between a Muslim
migrant and a local Christian public transport driver, which
degenerated into full-blown sectarian riots.

Ambon city, once noted for its religious harmony, became a war
zone, suffering widespread destruction and mayhem causing tens of
thousands to take shelter in churches, mosques and military
camps. (byg)