Up to 10 people have died in religious clashes in the eastern Indonesian city of Ambon. About 88 people were wounded and a United Nations office was set alight in pitched battles between Muslims and Christians, witnesses said.
| The UN should be outta there in about... oh... 12 hours. |
It was one of the worst outbreaks of violence since a peace pact in February 2002 ended three years of sectarian battles in parts of the Maluku islands. Trouble began after a Christian group defied a longstanding ban and staged a street convoy, carrying flags to mark the 54th anniversary of the proclamation of a self-styled South Maluku Republic. They traded jeers, insults and stones with mainly Muslim opponents, witnesses said. Residents said shots and explosions died away after dusk. Police and soldiers were patrolling the streets and guarding key sites. Police said some 20 people were detained, mainly members of the pro-independence Front for Maluku's Sovereignty, for displaying the banned separatist flag. |