ASSOCIATED PRESS, Monday September 16, 2002 3:45 AM ET
Two die in sectarian violence in Indonesia's Maluku province
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Gunmen attacked two villages in Indonesia's religiously divided
province of North Maluku, killing two people and burning down dozens of buildings, a
military spokesman said Monday.
The unidentified attackers -- armed with automatic weapons, knives and explosives --
launched the assault early Sunday on a Christian village, said Capt. Syaiful of the
military command in Ternate, North Maluku's capital. The group then attacked a
Muslim village, he said.
The attacks claimed the lives of two civilians and left dozens injured, Syaiful said. At
least 30 homes, five churches and one mosque were torched, he said.
No one has claimed responsibility for the bloodshed.
North Maluku officials, who got word of the fighting Monday, have sent a team to
investigate the remote site located about 300 kilometers (190 miles) north of Ternate.
The province of North Maluku lies 2,600 kilometers (1,600 miles) east of the capital,
Jakarta.
The provinces of Maluku and North Maluku has been wracked by three years of
fighting between Christians and Muslims. Up to 9,000 people have been killed and
tens of thousands have been forced from their homes.
A February peace accord has failed to stop sporadic outbreaks of violence.
Copyright © 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
|
