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)