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64 more bodies found in eastern Indonesia

Source
Associated Press - April 15, 1999 (abridged)

Ambon – Sixty-four more bodies of those killed in recent riots in eastern Indonesian islands have been found, bringing the death toll to at least 177 in the clashes that started March 31, an official said Thursday.

The bodies, found in forests on Kei Besar and Kei Kecil islands, were believed to be victims of fighting between Muslims and Christians that happened April 3-4, said South Maluku regent Hussein Rahayaan.

"They were not among the victims who were counted earlier," Rahayaan said in a telephone interview from Tual, the regency's capital on Kei Kecil, about 2,800 kilometers east of Jakarta.

Efforts were under way to bury them, including calling on villagers to bury their own families, he said.

The official Antara news agency reported that residents of the region feared the possible outbreak of fresh clashes. Most villagers were hesitant to leave their villages, and the conflicting parties remained suspicious of each other, it said.

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