UN office burnt as upsurge of violence in Moluccas

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The spectre of sectarian conflict rose yesterday to haunt Indonesia's eastern Molucca islands after the most deadly violence between Muslims and Christians in the region for two years.

At least 10 people died, scores were injured and a UN office, a church and other buildings were burnt as fighting erupted between thousands of Muslim and Christian gang members in Ambon, the regional capital.

It is not clear how the killings happened, although an Associated Press reporter said he saw two youths hacked to death with swords in the centre of the city. Several reports cited witnesses saying snipers shot into crowds from buildings.

UN staff said their personnel were uninjured, and that it was too early to decide whether to pull out of the region. Thousands of people were killed in the Moluccas during three years of sectarian-inspired fighting that ended with a truce in 2002.

The provincial police chief, Brigadier General Bambang Sitrisno, said the violence was triggered by Muslims venting their fury at a small group of Christian separatists trying to mark the 54th anniversary of a failed independence putsch.

"These men are very loyal to the unitary state of Indonesia and were angry at what they saw as an attempt to drum up support for the independence movement," he said.

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