Clashes in Molucca Islands Leave 11 Dead

Fresh religious violence has erupted in Indonesia’s strife-torn Spice Islands, claiming at least 11 lives, the official Antara news agency said today.

Newspapers said the death toll from violence Thursday near the town of Galela on the island of Halmahera could be much higher.

Antara quoted Molucca Gov. Muhyi Effendi as saying he had received official reports stating that 11 people were killed and 75 injured in the renewed sectarian clashes.

He said reports of a higher death toll were being investigated.

“We will check the differences between the two reports,” he was quoted as saying.

The Jakarta Post daily quoted S. Biso, a Christian cleric in Galela, as saying at least 33 people were killed.

Biso told the paper that attackers had pounced on a coastal village near Galela in several speedboats. Other attackers emerged from a nearby forest.

A military spokesman said the remoteness of the location made the death toll difficult to verify.

“We are still trying to get the exact number, but it is difficult because there are poor communication facilities there,” he said.

The Molucca Islands, once known as the Spice Islands, have been riven by waves of religious violence between Christians and Muslims since last year.

Violence erupted again earlier this month in the provincial capital, Ambon, leaving at least 38 dead.