REUTERS, April 03, 2002 04:06 AM ET
Bomb Blast in Indonesia's Ambon Kills Two, Wounds 57
AMBON, Indonesia (Reuters) - A powerful bomb killed two people and wounded 57 in
a Christian district of Indonesia's eastern Ambon city on Wednesday, triggering a
violent protest by thousands of residents, police and witnesses said.
Hands, arms and legs were strewn about the site of the blast in central Ambon. The
bomb threw into question a landmark peace pact signed in February between
Muslims and Christians aimed at ending three years of murderous clashes.
"The explosion took place outside a karaoke bar...It was a high-intensity bomb and
not a crudely made device," police official Sed Latusuay told Reuters.
Ambon is the main hub of the Moluccas islands, where at least 5,000 people have
been killed during a cycle of violence that has blighted the image of the world's most
populous Muslim nation. The islands have been fairly calm since the February pact
took effect.
The blast occurred in the late morning, sparking panic and anger among Christians
and prompting thousands to converge on the nearby governor's office and torch parts
of the complex, witnesses said.
Police fired warning shots over the heads of the protesters, who eventually dispersed
through the ravaged city of 400,000 people, 1,400 miles east of Jakarta.
"A group of people burned the back part of the governor's office and the fire crept up to
some of the buildings at the front," Latusuay said.
There were no reports of casualties in that incident, which forced the evacuation of
some government officials.
Latusuay said three hospitals had provided the casualty count for the explosion. An
official at one hospital said some victims were in critical condition.
Residents said parts of Ambon were still tense by late afternoon, with hundreds of
police at the explosion site, but traffic had returned to normal.
"It was a very strong explosion...I could feel the tremor and the windows of my shop
shook," said the owner of a nearby pharmacy.
Any major outbreak of violence in Ambon or elsewhere in a once-picturesque region
known as the Spice Islands would be a setback to the peace deal.
ISLAND CHAIN A FLASHPOINT
The Moluccas is one of several flashpoints where separatist, communal or religious
tensions pose a challenge to Jakarta's efforts to maintain order and convince investors
and aid donors the vast archipelago is stable.
A separate peace deal signed late last year by warring Muslims and Christians in the
Poso region of Central Sulawesi province has also held quite well.
About 85 percent of Indonesia's 210 million people are Muslim, but Christians make
up roughly half the population in some eastern areas.
Once a bustling port town and popular entry point for tourists into Indonesia's eastern
islands, Ambon was reduced to a shambles during the three years of bloodshed
which saw the city split into numerous Muslim and Christian enclaves.
Since the Moluccas peace pact, there have been several rallies by Christians and
Muslims to celebrate an agreement that has also faced opposition from religious
militants.
Despite the peace pact, parts of the Moluccas are still under a civil emergency, one
level down from martial law. That allows security forces to search houses and detain
suspects as well as clamp down on media they classify as provocative.
Indonesia has struggled to control communal violence along its outer reaches since
former President Suharto stepped down in 1998, although there have been few major
clashes anywhere since Megawati Sukarnoputri took power last July apart from
rebellious Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra.
Many analysts blame Suharto's authoritarian rule for keeping a lid on resentment that
sparked much of the anger.
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