Police guard Mamua following fatal clash

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.