INDONESIA: EIGHT KILLED IN MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN FIGHTING

(14 Jun 2000) Natural Sound XFA At least eight people were killed in Monday’s Muslim-Christian fighting in the eastern Indonesian province of Maluku In the provincial capital of Ambon, an official at the main Al Fatah Mosque, Malik Selang, said four Muslims were killed in a clash with a Christian gang at Hative Kecil, a village on the outskirts of Ambon, Maluku’s capital. A doctor at Ambon’s navy hospital, Lt. Janto, said two policemen had also died of gunshot wounds. Witnesses said two Christians were also killed. An official at a state-run hospital said seven people were being treated there for injuries. One was in critical condition. Troops supported by armoured cars dispersed the two rival groups, who had attacked each other with spears and arrows. Maluku is one of the few regions in Muslim-dominated Indonesia where Christians are the majority. The area had been renowned for its religious tolerance before sectaria