One officer killed as rioters run rampant in Ambon

One officer killed as rioters run rampant in Ambon

AMBON, Maluku (JP): Violence dragged on here over the weekend
as armed rioters ransacked and burned the remaining houses in the
Diponegoro Atas subdistrict.

A police officer was reportedly shot dead by a sniper during
the incident on Sunday and another was injured on Saturday in
downtown Ambon, Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Firman Gani said.

"Details of the incidents have not yet been completed and we
are continuing a gun sweep and search for the alleged snipers
across the city," Firman said, adding that gunfire and explosions
were still being heard in some parts of town.

Some reports said an official of the Pattimura Military
Command, Lt. Col. Hery Suhada, was severely wounded after he was
shot nearby his office in the Batu Gajah area on Saturday
afternoon. Military and hospital staff refused to confirm the
report.

The killing of the police officer brings the death toll to
over 110 since the government imposed a state of civil emergency
in the provinces of Maluku and North Maluku on June 27.

Witnesses said at least five abandoned houses in Urimesing
area in Diponegoro Atas were set on fire by rioters after they
looted the buildings on Sunday morning.

"We recognized some of the attackers as plainclothes security
personnel," a local journalist said, adding that the rioters
tried to occupy the southern part of Ambon, which has long been
known as an area which links downtown with a predominantly
Christian area in the southwest.

Roadblocks have been set up almost everywhere in downtown
Ambon, where residents are facing food and fuel shortages.

"Most (fuel) depots lie in Muslim-controlled territories.
Gasoline here is sold for Rp 3,500 and kerosene for Rp 2,000,"
the reporter said.

The normal price for fuel is Rp 1,000 per liter, while
kerosene is Rp 500.

In Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi, the chairman of
the Crescent Star Party (PBB), Yusril Ihza Mahendra, suggested
that the government ask for help from other members of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to settle the
Maluku dispute.

"ASEAN can provide social and economic assistance as we share
solidarity values as well as regional stability. That way we can
avoid possible international intervention," Yusril said on the
sidelines of the party's function on Sunday.

Back in Ambon, Governor Saleh Latuconsina suggested on Friday
the possibility of totally isolating the disputed province in a
bid to block alleged rioters from entering and instigating
further unrest.

"We started with controlling the entry of certain people --
especially unwanted outsiders -- which was conducted by the
security forces.

"But the key to intercepting intruders lies with the troops'
effective security, such as the Navy blockade at sea. If that
fails, we have no choice but to totally isolate the islands,
starting with the ports," Latuconsina said.

Elsewhere in North Maluku, security officers seized more than
1,000 sticks of explosives in the early hours of Saturday from an
interisland ferry, the KM Ciremai, bound for Ternate from Bitung
Port in North Sulawesi, Antara reported. (49/edt)