THE STRAITS TIMES, February 15, 2002
Explosions rock Ambon a day after peace deal signed
JAKARTA - A series of blasts rocked Ambon a day after a peace pact was signed by
the warring Muslim and Christian camps, drawing condemnation from Indonesian
Vice-President Hamzah Haz yesterday.
'Those who did that must be found. It's an obvious attempt to foil the peace accord,
but I believe if all sides have agreed to peace, such things can surely be contained,'
he told reporters.
Mr Hamzah ordered security authorities in the Maluku islands to pull out all stops to
arrest those responsible.
Two blasts occurred on Wednesday night at the border of the Batumerah and Mardika
areas of Ambon city but had caused no casualties, the official Antara news agency
said yesterday.
The Kompas daily said there had been four blasts - three in the Rijali area and one in
Batugantung - and all had occurred in deserted areas.
On Tuesday, Maluku's Christian and Muslim leaders signed a government-mediated
agreement at Malino in South Sulawesi to end the sectarian violence that has raged
for three years.
More than 5,000 people have been killed and 500,000 driven from their homes.
Representatives of both camps vowed 'to halt all form of conflicts and disputes' and
said outside forces should withdraw from the province.
Welfare Minister Yusuf Kalla, who mediated the peace talks, also deplored the blasts
but expressed confidence that they would not hurt the peace momentum.
'The government believes that they are only ripples that would cease on their own,' he
said.
'Trust me, these people who want to tear up peace will not gain a place in the heart of
the people, especially those who signed the agreement and are determined to halt the
conflict.' --AFP
Copyright © 2001 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
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