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News & Pictures About Ambon/Maluku Tragedy

 

 


 

 

 

Three die in violence on Indonesia's Maluku islands


ASSOCIATED PRESS, Sunday September 8, 2002 12:34 AM ET

Three die in violence on Indonesia's Maluku islands

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Villagers found three decapitated female bodies on Sunday in Indonesia's religiously divided Maluku, military sources and news reports said Sunday. The news triggered a riot in the provincial capital.

The corpses of the three women were found on Sapura island, a military official said on condition of anonymity. It was unclear when or in what circumstances the women were killed. The official did not identify their religion.

State news agency Antara reported gunshots were heard on the island early Sunday morning before the three bodies were found. It gave no more details.

Apparently in reaction to the news, a Muslim mob in the provincial capital Ambon burnt a car driven by a man, who fled the vehicle. One person was stabbed and badly injured in the riot, witnesses said.

Maluku, about 2,600 kilometers (1,600 miles) east of Jakarta, has been wracked by three years of fighting between Christians and Muslims. Up to 9,000 people have been killed.

Sporadic violence has continued despite a February peace accord. The province's Christian and Muslim populations, which are roughly equal, now live in separate communities.

Sapura island, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Ambon, has both Christian and Muslim villages. It has seen some of the worst of the conflict.

Maluku, an archipelago, was known as the Spice Islands during Dutch colonial times.

Copyright © 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
 


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