JAKARTA, Indonesia, MAY 22, 2001 (Zenit.org).- A new round of violence gripped the Moluccas Islands as Muslim fundamentalists attacked two Christian villages, killing six people and wounding 17, the official Antara news agency reported.
Muslim militias, armed with bayonets, machetes, firearms and bombs, attacked Mardika and Soya Kecil, near Ambon, on Sunday night.
The military intervened rapidly, but none of the attackers was captured, Antara reported.
The new outbreak of violence is the latest in Christian-Muslim clashes, which began in January 1999 and have left 5,000 people dead and forced 500,000 to flee their homes. The government declared a state of emergency in the province last year.
