Two farmers killed in Ambon

AMBON, Maluku: Two brothers, Nyong Lewakabessy, 31, and Fery, 26, were found dead on their clove plantation in a village in central Maluku with Nyong's body found on Sunday and Fery's on Monday.

The two men, who died from gunshot wounds, had been predicted to be killed by unidentified people while they were harvesting cloves on the plantation in Suli Village, Salahtu Subdistrict, on Sunday.

Their bodies were found during a search carried out by relatives after they failed to return home.

"They were found dead at separate clove trees on Sunday and Monday and were believed to have been killed at midday on Sunday," John Salampessy, the victims' relative, said here on Monday.

He said the two had gone to harvest cloves on their plantation on early Sunday because of the rampant theft of cloves reported in the subdistrict. -- Antara