Christians slaughtered
2000-08-01 18:17
Jakarta - Muslim assailants killed at least 23 Christians fleeing from an
attack on their village into the jungles of the Indonesian island
of Ambon, a Christian activist said on Tuesday.
The dead were among some 4 000 people who had fled the village in
fear of their lives, he said.
The killings were the latest incident in a wave of Muslim-Christian
violence that has swept the Malukus islands since January 1999,
leaving more than 4 000 dead.
"A surviving witness whom our men have questioned in Suli village,
said there were at least 23 bodies in the forests where some 4 000
villagers had fled to escape attacks by Muslims on Waai village,"
said Sammy Weileruni of the joint Christian co-ordination post in
Ambon city.
Weileruni said the 27-year-old witness, Ishak Bakarbessi, said Waai
village, which had been under attack since Sunday, was now
completely obliterated and that all the villagers had fled into the
jungle.
"But the Muslim attackers and some soldiers from the Kostrad 321
battalion are now occupying the village and have set up tents and
makeshift shelters," Weileruni said quoting the witness.
He was referring to members of the army strategic reserve command
(Kostrad) battalion, which had been assigned to safeguard the area
coveing Waai.
Bakarbessi could not give further details but said the attackers
had pursued the villagers when they fled into the jungles.
Weileruni said the 23 victims may have been killed between Monday
and Tuesday morning, and added because of conditions there, the
bodies were left lying where they fell, and could not be
immediately retrieved.
Waai, a village some 35 kilometres northeast of Ambon
city, was first attacked on 5 and 6 July. The renewed attack was
launched on Sunday. - Sapa-AFP
- SAPA