Geoff Spencer, Ambon – Indonesian soldiers raided homes and searched boat passengers Sunday in a security crackdown on the island of Ambon to quell fighting between Christians and Muslims that has killed more than 200 people in less that two months.
Despite their efforts, 15 houses were burned near a military hospital after nightfall.
Witnesses said a Muslim gang set fire to a home owned by Christians and the flames quickly spread to others owned by people of both religions. There were no reports of injuries.
Fierce fighting erupted on Ambon in late January and spread to five other eastern islands in Maluku Province, which were known as the Spice Islands in Dutch colonial times.
Military authorities have filed charges against a security officer accused of fomenting sectarian rioting in recent weeks. The unidentified officer would face trial this week, Ambon's military police chief, Maj. Djuhendi, said Sunday.
More than a dozen other members of the security forces have also been questioned since Muslim leaders accused some of siding with Christians during the violence.
Meanwhile, squads of soldiers with automatic rifles conducted body and luggage searches on passengers coming and going on inter-island ferries and ships at Ambon's main port. Thousands of people have already sailed away from Ambon fearing more bloodshed.
About a dozen men carrying knives and other weapons were arrested in one search Sunday. Soldiers also raided houses in the eastern end of the island's capital, which is also known as Ambon.
On Saturday, police arrested 37 Muslim men accused of planning a new wave of attacks against Christians. Four homemade bombs and other weapons such as spears, arrows and swords were confiscated.
Also Saturday, the mutilated body of a Christian man was dumped near a Muslim opposition party's office in Ambon city. He was the 14th person to die since fighting flared again Wednesday, when troops opened fire on rival mobs battling each other with gasoline bombs and spears.
Christians prayed and held Sunday services, some in the burned out wrecks of village churches set on fire during the religious clashes. Many mosques have also been burned along with thousands of homes, stores and other buildings.
"Let's pray that this violence is over and that Christians and Muslims can live in peace again," said Father John Ruhulessin, a Roman Catholic priest in Ambon.
Military officials said government offices and schools would open Monday as usual. Thousands of state employees and students have been staying at home because of last week's violence.
About 90 percent of Indonesia's 210 million people are Muslim, making it the world's most populous Islamic nation. However, just over half over Ambon's 311,00 people are Christian.