JAKARTA, Indonesia, SEPT. 8, 2002 - Rioting has erupted in the religiously
divided Molucca Islands following the reported killing of three women, BBC
reported.
Mobs rioted in a predominantly Muslim quarter of the regional capital, Ambon,
and set fire to a van carrying Christians, police said. One person was burned
to death, BBC said.
The rioting was apparently triggered by news that three Muslim women had been
shot dead on a beach on the island of Sapura.
The Moluccas, about 2,300 kilometers (1,400 miles) east of Jakarta, have been
plagued by Muslim-Christian clashes since January 1999. More than 5,000 people
have been killed in the violence. Fighting has continued despite a peace accord
signed by both communities in February.
On Thursday, three teen-age girls were killed when a homemade bomb went off at
a sports center in Ambon. A 20-year-old woman later died of her injuries.
Indonesian Vice President Hamzah Haz blamed the bombing on agitators who, he
said, wanted to destabilize the country, BBC reported. He denied the attack was
motivated by religious rivalry.