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Three die in violence on Indonesia's Maluku islands
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ASSOCIATED
PRESS
Sunday September 8, 2002 12:34 AM ET
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Three die in violence on Indonesia's Maluku islands
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Villagers found three decapitated female bodies on Sunday in
Indonesia's religiously divided Maluku, military sources and news reports said
Sunday. The news triggered a riot in the provincial capital.
The corpses of the three women were found on Sapura island, a military official said
on condition of anonymity. It was unclear when or in what circumstances the women
were killed. The official did not identify their religion.
State news agency Antara reported gunshots were heard on the island early Sunday
morning before the three bodies were found. It gave no more details.
Apparently in reaction to the news, a Muslim mob in the provincial capital Ambon
burnt a car driven by a man, who fled the vehicle. One person was stabbed and badly
injured in the riot, witnesses said.
Maluku, about 2,600 kilometers (1,600 miles) east of Jakarta, has been wracked by
three years of fighting between Christians and Muslims. Up to 9,000 people have been
killed.
Sporadic violence has continued despite a February peace accord. The province's
Christian and Muslim populations, which are roughly equal, now live in separate
communities.
Sapura island, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Ambon, has both Christian and
Muslim villages. It has seen some of the worst of the conflict.
Maluku, an archipelago, was known as the Spice Islands during Dutch colonial times.
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