In the Indonesian province of Maluku, road blocks and barricades have been erected in several parts of Ambon after two weekend bomb blasts. Local police say the attackers are trying to provoke violence between the muslim and christian communties. There are also claims that those responsible have a clear political agenda.

Presenter/Interviewer: Sen Lam

Speakers: Bishop Petrus Mandagi, head of the Catholic church in Ambon

Mandagi: "This explosion to some extent will raise tension in Malukus up to now, in Ambon this bomb blast is a part of a provocation to create conflict in Ambon, to enlarge the present conflict in Malukus, in Ambon especially."

Lam: So you agree with local Malukun police who think that the bomb blasts were staged as a ploy to stir up local hatred?

Mandagi: "Yes, yes I agree with this, because bomb blasts placed in the village, people in that village are Christians. This bomb blast to provoke the Christian people here in Ambon so that they can feel that maybe this bomb was placed by the Muslim people. So the provocateur tried to make Christians and Muslims involved in conflict."

Lam: So do you think these provocateurs are not from within the local communities?

Mandagi: "They are in local community but I think they are not refer to directly to Muslim or Christian. They belong to neither group; maybe it's their link to those in Jakarta for presidential election you know."

Lam: What can you tell us about these groups?

Mandagi: "Maybe these groups is created by politician that will show the world that the city of Ambon is not at peace. It means that the present government are not able to create peace in Ambon, that's why the present government has to be changed for another president."

Lam: What's the environment like? What's the atmosphere like in Ambon today? Is it very tense? Mandagi: "I think people here become more mature and the people now in Ambon either Muslim or Christian are mature, they're now wise to see that this conflict are created for political interest."

Lam: And yet we've received reports of barricades made up of tyres, rocks, bamboo, whatever material people can lay their hands on, of barricades being setup in main streets in Christian and Muslim communities. Have you seen any barricades being setup?

Mandagi: "Yes last week especially since the coming of Megawati, a group of people called Posco anti-LMS it means the group belong to those who rejected separatist group LMS. This group lays obstacles, barricades in several roads in Ambon."

Lam: And this is in protest against President Megawati's visit on Saturday?

Mandagi: "They want to take attention from Megawati, that we now in Ambon we are in conflict, so you see these are obstacles here in the streets. The people in Ambon either Christian or Muslim, they want to come together, they want to live together, but it's not easy to be a leader there. There are many groups there and each group has his own interests, to me not so easy for Muslim leader, and we have to support the brotherhood between the Christians and Muslims in Ambon. The moderate Muslim here in Ambon they like the conflict to stop, and the Christians and Muslims come together, live together."