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Blast kills one, injures 16 in Indonesiaâs Ambon
A bomb explosion killed at least one person and injured 16 others on Tuesday in Ambon, the main city of Indonesiaâs Moluccas islands where clashes between Muslims and Christians erupted last month, police said. Moluccas police spokesman, Endro Prasetyo said the bomb exploded early on Tuesday near an open market in the port city located around 2,300 km (1,440 miles) east of Jakarta.âFrom the bomb, which exploded near the open market, one person was killed and 16 others injured, and out of those 16, two suffered serious injuries,â Prasetyo said. At least 36 people were killed last month in a renewed cycle of religious violence in Ambon. It was the worst fighting since early 2002 when Muslims and Christians signed a peace pact to end three years of conflict that killed around 5,000 people. The police spokesman also said there was a rumour of a bomb planted near a church but officers did not find any explosive devices there. Indonesia is the worldâs most populous Muslim nation with around 85 percent of its 220 million population following Islam. Ambon, like many areas in the countryâs east, has a roughly equal proportion of Muslims and Christians. Although violence has largely subsided in Ambon over the past month, sporadic gun shots and explosions are still commonplace in the once scenic city where many areas are still in ruins after years of fighting. Posted by: TS(vice girl) 2004-05-25 |
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