LAKSAMANA.Net, September 9, 2002 11:54 AM
New Ambon Attack
Laksamana.Net - Gunmen shot and killed three Muslim women Sunday (8/9/02) on a
beach on an island near Ambon, setting off a riot that killed a Christian, the
Associated Press reported.
The three women were shot on the island of Saparua, police said.
The Associated Press said police in Ambon refused to comment on initial reports the
victims had been decapitated.
A Muslim mob later torched a minivan carrying Christians in Ambon, and the driver
was killed and his vehicle burned.
The Crisis Center Diocese of Amboina blamed provocateurs for the killings, which
took place early on Sunday morning,
The victims were girls aged 12 and 13 and a pregnant woman aged 27. They had been
looking for edible shells on the beach near their village of Kulur.
Meanwhile Another teenager died in hospital Friday (6/9/02), taking the death toll in
the latest bomb outrage to four. The victims were members of the provincial sports
contingent and included both Muslims and Christians.
The bomb killed three instantly and wounded another eight when it exploded at the
Lapangan Merdeka sports field used by both communities.
Most victims were athletes that were preparing themselves for national contests in
Papua to be held later this year.
Police in Ambon released two civilians they had been questioning in connection with
the blast, saying there was no evidence against them.
One man had been detained when he tried to run from the scene, while a woman was
held for allegedly inciting people to attack a rival group immediately after the blast.
Vice President Hamzah Haz said the home-made bomb appeared not to be linked to
local animosity but was the work of provocateurs.
"There is a party that doesn't like to see Indonesia stable -- maybe from within our
circle, maybe from abroad," Haz told reporters.
The bomb attack contrasted with generally improved security conditions in Ambon.
"The citizens of Ambon are confident that the earlier terrible strife between the two
communities now belongs to the past and that together they have to confront those
that by acts of terrorism want to prolong the unrest," the Crisis Center Diocese of
Amboina stated before the latest killings.
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