One person dead in renewed violence in troubled Maluku

One person dead in renewed violence in troubled Maluku

AMBON, Maluku (JP): Renewed shooting and bomb attacks by armed
raiders broke out in Uraur village, Kairatu district, Central
Maluku on Saturday, claiming one life and injuring another, an
official said on Sunday.

Spokesman for the civil emergency post John Tomasowa said 32
houses, one church and an elementary school building were razed
by fire during the attacks.

He said the attackers had been mobilizing people in a nearby
forest for two days before the assault.

Witnesses said they saw no security personnel at the scene of
the attacks.

Separately, Pattimura Military Commander Brig. Gen. I Made
Yasa said on Sunday that the military had anticipated possible
attacks on Oma village in Haruku island following a series of
threats by a certain group who wished to retaliate for an attack
allegedly perpetrated by Oma people on a speedboat carrying
Sirisori Salam residents on Nov. 18.

Two bodies have been recovered from the speedboat, while the
remaining 14 passengers have been declared missing.

"We anticipated an attack on Oma village. But the attackers
raided Uraur village, instead," Yasa said.

The head of an investigative team, comprising representatives
of the civil emergency post, the police, the military and the
National Commission on Human Rights assigned to probe the case of
the missing speedboat, Maj. Marthin Luther Djari, said Oma
residents had denied the allegations.

Tomasowa also said that armed rioters had also thrown bombs at
the edge of Wayame village in Teluk Ambon Baguala district, in
Ambon on Saturday evening, forcing dozens of residents to seek
refuge.

Rampant attacks over the past two weeks in the waters of Teluk
Ambon Baguala have forced the local military to ask for two
companies of marine reinforcements from Jakarta.

The soldiers will be dispatched to secure Ambon bay where five
floating security posts will be set up to maintain security in
speedboat docking areas and three other posts will be erected to
secure the waters between Ambon and Haruku islands.

Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina had recently ordered local
Navy officers to register all speedboat operators and ascertain
their routes so as to enable maritime security to control and
prevent possible attacks using speedboats. (49/lup)