|
|
Change Your Life! |
Muslim-Christian Clash in Indonesia |
|
|
News |
||
|
June 13, 2000
JAKARTA, JUNE 12 (AP) - At least six people, including two police officers, were killed Monday in fresh Muslim-Christian fighting in Maluku, a strife-torn province in eastern Indonesia, officials and witnesses said.
In the provincial capital, Ambon, an official at the main Al Fatah Mosque, Malik Selang, said four Muslims were killed in a clash with a Christian gang at Hative Kecil, a village on the outskirts of Ambon, Maluku's capital. |
|
|
A doctor at Ambon's navy hospital, Lt. Janto, said two policemen had also died of gunshot wounds.
Witnesses said a number of Christians were also killed.
An official at a state-run hospital, said seven people were being treated there for injuries. One was in critical condition.
Troops supported by armored cars dispersed the two rival groups, who had attacked each other with spears and arrows.
Maluku is one of the few regions in Muslim-dominated Indonesia where Christians are the majority.
It had been renowned for its religious tolerance before sectarian violence broke out in January 1999.
More than 2,500 people have been killed in Maluku, also known as the Moluccas islands, 2,600 kilometers (1,600 miles) northeast of Jakarta.
Meanwhile in Aceh province, on Indonesia's northwestern tip, a local lawmaker was shot and stabbed to death, police said Monday.
Maj. Supriadi Djalal, a local police chief, said Harun Aldy was killed in the south of the province, about 1,750 kilometers (1,100 miles) northwest of Jakarta, on Sunday. He said police were investigating the attack. He said it was unclear who was responsible or what the motive was for the murder.
The killing was the third in Aceh since a historic cease-fire between separatist fighters and the Indonesian military came into effect on June 2.
More than 5,000 people have been killed in fighting between separatists and troops during the past decade, including about 350 so far this year.
Rebels, belonging to the Free Aceh Movement, have been fighting for independence for more than two decades.
|
||