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)