Security forces fire warning shots in riot-torn Ambon

JAKARTA (JP): Tensions again rose in the ravaged Maluku capital of Ambon on Tuesday when a fire mysteriously broke out and a security officer fired warning shots to disperse spectators.

Triyono, a staff member at Al Fatah Mosque, told The Jakarta Post by phone from Ambon the fire, which gutted nine houses, occurred near the mosque.

"The fire broke out at around 3 p.m. in a Muslim area on Jl. Baru and then a plainclothes security officer suddenly opened fire to disperse the crowd," Triyono said, adding the officer was later arrested.

He said the cause of the fire was not known but quoted residents as saying they saw a man setting fire to one of the houses. A number of other residents, however, said the fire was caused by a short circuit.

"Rumors started circulating that the fire had been set by agitators, so the residents became tense," he added.

Semmy Waileruny, the coordinator of a team of lawyers from Maranatha Church, also said the cause of the fire was not known.

"Some residents said it was caused by an electrical short, others said it was set deliberately," Semmy told the Post.

Antara reported that a plainclothes Army captain from the local military headquarters fired warning shots as residents attempted to put out the fire. The news agency reported that the captain was arrested.

The news agency also reported the man was seen earlier provoking Muslim residents in the area to attack Christians. The captain allegedly told Muslims the fire was started by Christians.

The news agency said that Maj. Gen. Suaidi Marasabessy, who leads a special military task force of 19 locally born officers, was seen on the streets soothing angry residents in the area.

Pattimura Regional Military Commander Col. Karel Ralahalu warned earlier this week stern actions would be taken against those who incited riots.

Meanwhile, the Asia director of Human Rights Watch, Sidney Jones, called on the government to make public any hard evidence of provocation, to investigate allegations of bias in the behavior of security forces called in to quell the violence in the province and to acknowledge the terrible losses Muslims and Christians have suffered.

"Whether or not the violence in Ambon was provoked, communal tensions there were explosive," Jones said in a report, a copy of which was made available to the Post on Tuesday. (byg)