INDONESIA: LOMBOK: MUSLIM/CHRISTIAN VIOLENCE ERUPTS скачать в хорошем качестве

INDONESIA: LOMBOK: MUSLIM/CHRISTIAN VIOLENCE ERUPTS

(18 Jan 2000) English/Nat More sectarian violence has erupted on the Indonesian tourist island of Lombok, one day after Muslim mobs burned down a dozen Christian churches. The trouble broke out after Muslims on the island protested against Indonesia's failure to quell violence between Muslims and Christians in the civil war-torn Maluku province, in eastern Indonesia. Security forces are now on high alert as Muslim gangs terrorise minorities living on the island. Muslim gangs roamed the streets of Lombok's capital of Mataram on Tuesday in search of Christian houses. Fed up of their governments failure to quell the violence between Muslims and Christians in the Malukus, this crowd was eager to vent their anger on the Christian minorities in their own home towns. This house belongs to a Chinese-Christian family. Although Chinese make up only 2 percent of Indonesia's population, they control much of the nation's businesses, fueling resentment among other Indonesians. The band of a hundred people finally broke inside and ransacked the house. The police arrived too late to save the family home. Only six of the looters were arrested. Lombok is only 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Bali, Indonesia's main tourist destination. For that reason, the Lombok unrest is likely to further damage Indonesia's once-lucrative tourism industry, which is still recovering from the effects of the 1997 Asian financial meltdown. Hotels have begun evacuating their guests and tourists have been advised not to travel to the island. The violence started on Monday when several thousand Muslims gathered in Mataram on Monday to protest the violence in the Malukus, another region of Indonesia where about 2,000 people have died in Muslim-Christian clashes. The rally turned violent and demonstrators began torching churches and homes. Fighting fueled by religious and ethnic antagonisms broke out a year ago between Christians and Muslims in Ambon, an island in Maluku, though relations had been good for centuries. Many Muslims in Lombok are calling for Jihad, or holy war. The local Hindu minority community aren't taking any chances. They've set up a roadblock to prevent the troubles spilling into their neighbourhood. SOUNDBITE: (English) "We are prepared to keep the neighbourhood so there's no fight between Muslim and Hindu." SUPER CAPTION: Ketut Wirawan, Hindu local Christians on Lombok said that a dozen churches and places of worship were destroyed on Monday in a rampage by Muslim fanatics in Mataram. A local hospital official said eight people had been admitted with gunshot wounds. Although the world's most populous Muslim nation has in the past adopted a moderate approach to religious diversity, sectarian clashes in the Maluku provinces have created divisions the nation can ill afford. Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid has threatened harsh action against radicals trying to ignite a wider sectarian conflict. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...