Oktovianus Pinontoan, Ambon – At least one person was shot on Monday in the capital of Maluku province, Ambon, in the first spate of serious violence in the province since the Malino peace accord was signed earlier this month by members of the local warring factions.
Buce Sapteno, a 40-year-old civil servant, was the first victim of violence since the pact was signed on February 12 in the South Sulawesi hill resort of Malino in Gowa regency.
He was shot when a group of unidentified people attacked an official bus carrying around 20 people, which he was driving, in the Galunggung area, Sirimau subdistrict at around 7:45 a.m.
The bus, which belongs to the Ambon administration, was traveling from the village of Galala to the city's mayoralty office.
The ill-fated driver, a resident from the village of Lateri in Teluk Ambon Baguala subdistrict, survived the incident and is undergoing intensive treatment at a local hospital for bullet wounds to his right arm.
Speaking to journalists at the hospital, Buce said the attackers fired shots at his bus from all directions. "At the time, I floored the pedal to speed up the bus to leave the location."
Ambon Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Noviantoro, who visited the injured victim in hospital, said security forces were searching for the attackers.
One of the armed attackers wore a black, long-sleeved shirt and head band and had long hair, he said. The attacker emerged from a foodstall and fired shots at the car outside the local office of state-owned traffic insurance company PT Jasa Raharja, Noviantoro added.
A. Mayaut, a female eyewitness who was among the passengers inside the bus, told Antara that the attackers also hurled a home-made bomb at the scene but the explosion missed the target. She did not elaborate further.
The fresh bloodshed ground all vehicles traveling from the village of Tulehu to Ambon city to a halt. It was not clear which group the attackers belonged to.
Maluku's Pattimura Military Commander Brig. Gen. Mustopo apologized to local people for the attack, and admitted that the authorities faced difficulties capturing the suspects due to the lack of information. He called on the public not to travel through locations still deemed vulnerable to violence except with a security escort.
Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina said his office has appealed to residents to stay away from certain violence-prone areas as some members of society remained opposed to the recent peace agreement.
The latest incident erupted as Muslim and Christian negotiators and the local authorities were disseminating the outcome of the peace accord to halt the sectarian conflict that has killed around 6,000 people and displaced some 500,000 others.