Police guard Mamua following fatal clash

M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post/Ambon

Maluku Provincial Police dispatched hundreds of police personnel to Central Maluku regency on Friday, after a communal clash in the area that left one person dead and seven others injured.

The clash began when First. Brig. Hairun, a police officer from Wakal subdistrict in the regency, had an argument with a woman in a wedding party held in Mamua hamlet, Hila subdistrict, Maluku regency at dawn on Thursday.

Local residents defended the woman and later overwhelmed and kicked the policeman. Hairun's friend First. Brig. Salim, who was also at the wedding reception, fired a warning shot to stop the violence. The residents quickly stopped the kicking and beating and allowed Salim to escort Hairun out.

As Hairun was being escorted out of the area, another friend of Hairun and Salim, namely Abdul Gafar Wael was targeted by local residents.

When Salim went back with some friends to pick up Wael, they discovered that Wael had been stabbed to death.

After the burial of Wael on Thursday afternoon, dozens of members of Wael's family and friends from Wakal subdistrict attacked Mamua hamlet.

At least 15 houses were burned down by the angry people and seven Mamua residents suffered serious injuries in the attack. Four of them sustained gun shot wounds. The sudden attack forced Mamua residents to flee the area. Local police personnel were quickly dispatched to the area to prevent the clash from escalating. On Friday morning, additional troops were deployed from Maluku Provincial Police to secure the area.

Ambon and Lease Islands Police chief Adj. Sr. Leonidas Braksan said that the police had detained Ardin, who was suspected of killing Wael. He also said that the police would question witnesses in the case.

As of Friday afternoon, hundreds of police personnel were patrolling the hamlet to secure the area.

The police are hunting down Wakal and Mamua residents believed to have been involved in the murder and the attack.

Some Mamua residents returned to their houses to secure their valuables and then quickly went back to their relatives' houses in neighboring hamlets.

Separately in Pelauw subdistrict, also in Central Maluku regency, two people were shot dead in an unprovoked attack. Muhammad Tuasikal and Erik Talaohu were riding a motorcycle in Mae hamlet, on the border of Pelauw and Kailolo subdistricts on Wednesday evening when they were suddenly shot at by unidentified people. The two later died in the hospital, said Leonidas.