Violence flares up in Moluccas

After a calm spell, there was an outbreak of violence again in the Moluccan archipelago at the weekend. According to the missionary news service, the diocesan Crisis Centre in Ambon report that dozens of Muslims attacked the Christian village of Kase, in the southern sector of Buru Island, west of Ambon. Three villagers were killed: one 67-year-old man, a 53-year-old primary school teacher and her 13-year-old son. Four other people are missing. The attackers, who arrived from nearby villages, also set fire to a house. The the seven police officers stationed in the area could do nothing but help the residents escape to the next village. Kase was targeted by Muslims last year. The Crisis Centre also said that on Saturday a 62-year-old Dutch man who had been visiting the area, was killed in Liang, an Islamic village along the north-eastern coast of Ambon Island. They gave no motive for the killing. More than 4,000 have died in the islands since clashes between Muslims and Christians began two years ago.