At least 12 people have been killed by a Muslim mob which attacked
a Christian village in the Moluccan islands in eastern Indonesia.
The violence then spread to the regional capital, Ambon city,
where a bomb went off, and a centre for Christian and Muslim
children and one of the city's main churches were set on fire.
It is the most serious outbreak of violence in the Moluccas since
a peace deal was signed by Christian and Muslim leaders in
February 2002.
The deal was intended to put an end to three years of sectarian
violence in which more than 6,000 people have died.
Homes set alight
The violence began early on Sunday in the village of Soya.
"They attacked the village by
using home-made bombs and set fire to some of the houses,"a local
journalist said.
There are reports that some 30 homes and a church were set on
fire.
Six people are reported to have been stabbed to death, and a
further six are said to have died in the fires.
Christian sources say the Soya attack was carried out by a Muslim
mob armed with machetes, knives and bombs.
Two of the attackers also died in the fighting.
Many of the villagers, particularly the women and children, have
now fled the area.
Ambon police chief Brigadier-General Sunarko Danu Artanto
confirmed the attack, but gave no further details.
Independence
The violence comes after the Christian separatist South
Moluccas Republic (RMS) group raised flags in Ambon on Thursday,
the 52nd anniversary of a failed independence bid.
Troops patrolling Ambon before the peace deal
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Angry Muslim crowds took to
the streets in response, and the leader of the extremist Islamic
organisation, Laskar Jihad, called on all Muslims in the Moluccan
islands to launch a renewed war against the Christian community.
The group's commander, Jafar Umar Thalib, told thousands attending
a rally after Friday prayers that the peace agreement should be
ignored.
BBC Jakarta correspondent Richard Galpin says the critical issue
now is whether the authorities can prevent the violence from
spreading - which would mean clamping down on the activities of
Laskar Jihad, which so far the government has been afraid to do.
Muslims make up 85% of Indonesia's 210 million people, but in the
Moluccas half the population is Christian.
