One shot dead in fresh Ambon violence, 10 injured

JAKARTA (JP): At least one man was killed and 10 others injured on Tuesday after security personnel opened fire to disperse mobs of Muslims and Christians in the riot-torn Maluku capital of Ambon, officials said.

Mintaihutu, a staff member at the emergency ward of the local general hospital, told The Jakarta Post the dead man was named Yosef Pelima.

"He died from a bullet wound in his back while the other 10 have gunshot wounds. They are being operated on," Mintaihutu said on Tuesday afternoon.

Antara quoted witnesses as saying five people were killed in the shooting and a further 20 injured.

AFP said Tuesday's violence broke out in downtown Batu Merah Dalam village after at least two houses owned by Christians were set on fire by what were believed to be petrol bombs thrown by Muslims from an overlooking hill.

Mobs from both communities, armed with a motley assortment of weapons, formed in Batu Merah as smoke from the fires rose in a thick black column and soldiers and police rushed to the area to prevent clashes and a spread of the violence.

Antara said several loud bangs were heard before the fires, spreading panic.

"The security apparatus were not even-handed in pacifying the masses, as we were shot while the people from Batu Merah village who were carrying sharp weapons and stood in front of them were left alone," Antara quoted an unidentified source as saying.

The alleged unfair treatment by the security forces was also cited by a correspondent of a private television station who told the news agency the soldiers did nothing when a crowd blocked cars carrying Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina and Maluku Police chief Col. Karyono.

The cars, blocked in the Galunggung area from where the petrol bombs were allegedly thrown, had their windows smashed by the mob, the television correspondent said.

When contacted by the Post on Tuesday afternoon, spokesman for the Maluku Police Maj. Jekriel confirmed there had been bomb explosions in Batu Merah village but refused to confirm the casualties, saying he was still waiting for further reports.

"Security personnel have been sent to the area and the situation is now under control," Jekriel said.

Ambon and several other islands in Maluku province have been the scene of violent clashes between Muslims and Christians groups since mid-January which have left at least 127 people dead and caused massive damage.

The violence was initially sparked by a dispute between a Muslim migrant and a local Christian driver of a public minibus on Jan. 19, which was the first day of the Muslim holiday of Idul Fitri.

In the latest violence one person died on Monday on the nearby island of Saparua, east of Ambon.

Jekriel said 105 people have died in Ambon while 22 others have been killed in Central Maluku, Southeast Maluku and North Maluku.

Antara also said on Tuesday that Australia has pledged A$50,000 (about Rp 275 million) worth of humanitarian assistance to the people of the riot-torn city.

Unrest also took place in Labuhan Batu, South Sumatra, where at least one man was killed and five trucks and a number of cars and motorcycles were set on fire or damaged in a clash between residents and employees of a palm oil company.

In the town of Sambas in West Kalimantan province, at least three people were killed in rioting that broke out Monday and went on till dawn Tuesday.

At least 20 homes were also set on fire, a report said.

Public transport was suspended, shops closed and other daily routines disrupted, the report stated. Local authorities deployed dozens of police and troops to the area to help curb the violence.

The local military commander and government officials were quoted as saying by Antara that the riots were sparked by a dispute over a public transport fare in which one man sustained a serious stab wound.

The man who began the fight, identified only as Rudi, was in police custody on charges of inciting the rioting, the news agency said. (byg/21)