LAKSAMANA.Net, February 16, 2005 03:09 AM
Two Killed in Ambon Karaoke Shooting
Laksamana.Net - Two people have been shot dead and two others wounded in an
attack on a karaoke club in Ambon city, the religiously divided capital of Maluku
province, reports said Tuesday (15/2/05).
Gunmen in three speedboats landed at Hative in Ambon's Baguala subdistrict and
opened fire on the open-air Villa Karaoke club at about 2am Tuesday.
Detikcom online news portal reported the shooting left a man and a woman dead:
Ernest Yondri Puturuhu (22), who was shot in the face, and Siti Ratnawati (18), who
was shot in the neck.
Yanestanisiwa (61), the boss of the karaoke bar, was reportedly shot in his right leg,
while another victim, Antoni Ribbok, required intensive care. All four of the victims
were shot while inside the club’s VIP room.
Witness Henrik Manduapessy was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying that
although Hative is a predominantly Christian area, the dead woman was a Muslim.
Another witness, Ririn, told detikcom the gunfire lasted for about 15 minutes and
prompted patrons to panic and hit the ground for cover.
Maluku Police chief Brigadier General Adityawarman said he suspected the shooting
was carried by “irresponsible people" seeking to sabotage the peaceful atmosphere
in Ambon.
Local police spokesman Hendro Prasetyo said the assailants had apparently fled the
area. Police found about 25 spent bullet shells believed to have been fired from
automatic rifles at the scene of the attack, he added.
Fierce Muslim-Christian clashes erupted in the Maluku islands in 1999 and left about
7,000 people dead until a peace agreement was reached in February 2000. But
sporadic violence has continued and communal tensions have remained high.
Adityawarman said the karaoke attack might have been connected to an incident last
week in which a Muslim man was shot dead. AFP reported that a policeman has
been arrested on suspicion of carrying out that shooting.
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