Agence France-Presse, Sun Apr 25, 2004 4:56 AM ET
Six dead, UN office torched on separatist anniversary in
Indonesia's Ambon
AMBON, Indonesia (AFP) - At least six people died, about 60 were wounded and a
United Nations office was set ablaze as Muslim-Christian violence erupted in the
eastern Indonesian city of Ambon, witnesses said.
It was one of the worst outbreaks of violence since a peace pact in February 2002
ended three years of sectarian battles in parts of the Maluku islands in which some
5,000 people died.
Separate reports from hospital staff and a local Muslim official showed five people
including a high school girl were shot dead and one person died of a heart attack.
Witnesses said street battles raged Sunday afternoon near the former governor's
office. They said the UN mission which houses several agencies, and several cars
parked there, were set ablaze.
Din Kelilau from the local chapter of the Indonesian Council of Ulemas said he knew of
two deaths. He said he knew of 18 others who were injured, mostly with gunshot
wounds but also with shards from home-made bombs.
A nurse at the Haulussi general hospital said that another two people died of gunshot
wounds there and one suffered a fatal heart attack during the violence. Seven others
injured by gunshots or bombs, were treated there.
A nurse at the Bakti Rahayu hospital said one schoolgirl died there from a gunshot
wound and 24 others were being treated. She said more than 10 others were being
treated at a nearby Christian hall.
Trouble began after the mainly Christian pro-independence Front for Maluku's
Sovereignty staged a street convoy, carrying separatist flags to mark the 54th
anniversary of the movement.
They traded jeers, insults and stones with mainly Muslim opponents. Paramilitary
police and soldiers tried to disperse the crowd.
Kelilau said police fired shots when the crowd began to pelt them with stones. It was
not immediately clear whether these were warning shots or aimed at the crowd.
"I cannot approach the area as there are still mobs fighting there, but the smoke can
be seen from my office as well as several offices and houses in the area," said Olin
Tutamahu, who works at the UN mission.
Tutamahu said that by 5:30 pm (0830 GMT) shots and blasts could be heard in the
city.
A resident said several columns of smoke could be seen from the area.
A local journalist said Muslims, fearing further violence, had fled their homes in the
Waringin area that borders the mainly Christian area of Batugantung. He said men
carrying machetes, spears and other weapons could be seen on the streets.
ElShinta radio said police earlier arrested about 20 separatist supporters who were
trying to mark the anniversary of the founding of the self-proclaimed South Maluku
Republic.
One resident said violence began when police intervened and tried to steer the
separatists' convoy towards police headquarters. Authorities have banned any attempt
to mark the anniversary.
A mainly Muslim crowd which believed police were merely escorting the procession
began to pelt them, the resident said. Antara news agency said police seized some
20 separatist flags.
In January courts in Ambon sentenced at least 12 separatists to between 30 months
and 15 years in prison for treason after they were caught hoisting the separatist flag
on April 25 last year.
The republic was proclaimed in 1950, a year after the Dutch formally granted
Indonesia independence, by mostly Christian residents loyal to colonial rule.
The movement was quickly quelled and is not now believed to have widespread
support among Christians in Maluku. But the government, which faces more serious
separatist unrest in Aceh and Papua, is cracking down on any independence moves.
Copyright © 2004 AFP. All rights reserved.
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