Explosions and gunfire erupted in the Indonesian city of Ambon soon after a government minister visited to evaluate peace efforts between Christians and Muslims. No deaths or injuries were reported. The bomb blasts occurred about midnight, shortly after top security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and senior welfare minister Jusuf Kalla ended their visit. Fighting between Muslims and Christians in the eastern city erupted in January 1999, then widened to the surrounding islands of Maluku. Both sides say conflict is fanned by the paramilitary Islamic group Laskar Jihad. In May 2000, large numbers of militants began arriving in Maluku, about 1,600 miles northeast of Jakarta.
"Don't be bringin' none of that reconciliation stuff around here!" That jihad stuff sure is fun. It's a lot better than getting a job and working for a living. |