Jakarta – Unrest broke out again in the Malukan city of Ambon on Thursday, with houses torched and unconfirmed reports of deaths and casualties, residents there said.

"It started shortly after dawn, with the attackers coming from the Galunggung area," said a resident living in the Galala area on the eastern border of Ambon city, one of the areas targeted by the assailants. The attack also targeted nearby Halong, where the navy has its base, he added.

The resident said that several houses were torched in Galala, but added that they were mostly empty houses or ruins which had already been burned in previous incidents of violence.

"I have not been able to confirm any death casualty, but I saw myself one platoon commander wounded in the stomach and two soldiers wounded on the shoulder and on the buttocks," the resident, who declined to be identified, told AFP by telephone from his home in Galala. He said the soldiers were wounded by shrapnel from handgrenades.

The state Antara news agency said one person was killed and at least 14 others were injured in the violence. An employee of the state general hospital declined to say whether any dead or injured had been taken there.

The resident said that the attack began with the noise of exploding hand grenades, later followed by the sound of mortars. He said that about one hour later the gunshot sound dominated as security forces tried to break the attack and disperse the assailants.

Most of the injured were shot by security forces who quickly came to the site to repel the attackers, the resident said. "I did not see police deployed, but instead there were soldiers from several battallions, including infantrymen from Sumatra and Makassar and Marines," he added. He said the Marines had also brought two armoured cars with them.

Antara said the commander of the Eastern Navy fleet taskforce, Rear Admiral Joko Sumaryono, had ordered the deployment of two navy ships in Ambon Bay to stay on standby and help restore security in the area.

Reverend Max Siahaya from the Christian Maranatha church said that the sounds of shots and bomb explosions had also begun in downtown Ambon later in the day. He said that one Christian schoolboy had been shot in the rib in downtown Ambon and has since been rushed to the Bakti Rahayu private hospital. The violence broke out as a delegation from the European parliament was due to arrive in town.