Three more people killed in Ambon gunfire

The Jakarta Post, Ambon

Following a strong bomb explosion that claimed two lives in Ambon on Monday, three more people were shot dead by unidentified gunmen and five others were seriously injured by gunfire in Ambon early on Tuesday.

The shootings, which were carried out using automatic rifles, occurred when a speedboat carrying ten passengers entered the Ambon Baguala bay near the city at 6:30 a.m. local time.

"Two of the victims, who were shot in the head, chest and back, were brought directly to the hospital's morgue," Antara news agency quoted Johanis D. Mayaut, the on-duty physician at the Dr. Haulusi General Hospital in the city, as saying here on Tuesday.

The two were identified as Johanis Latupapua and E. Pelmelay. The third person killed, a female, was not taken to the hospital.

Two of the five injured were identified as Mrs. Agustina Lawalata, 42, and her daughter Natalia Lawalata, 20. Both suffered serious injuries to the head and back, and were still undergoing intensive medical treatment in hospital.

Palopo and M. Latumen, two witnesses who escaped the shooting, said the incident occurred as they were making their way from the Galala seaport to Banteng Gudang Arang seaport.

"Just off the Poka/Rumah Tiga coast another speedboat approached our boat and a gunman then shot at us a number of times with an automatic gun," said Palopo.

He said their speedboat's driver and conductor were killed instantly.

The two said that a number of speedboats arrived around half an hour later to remove the dead and injured.

On Monday, Mrs. Linggawati, owner of an electronic goods store in the city, and her son, Roberth, were killed when a handmade bomb exploded in their store. Another bomb also exploded after being thrown at a truck belonging to the city administration. A total of 14 people were injured in the two explosions.

Thousands of people have been killed in the prolonged sectarian conflict that has ravaged the province and North Maluku since Jan. 1999.

The government has imposed martial law in the two provinces to restore security and order but so far no permanent solution to the prolonged conflict has been found.