Jakarta – Masked attackers threw petrol bombs at homes in Bali on Monday in revenge for a deadly weekend clash between supporters of rival political parties, police and a party official said yesterday.

Several homes in Buleleng town almost went up in flames during the attacks, said detective Ngurah Darma.

Golkar supporters staged the attacks to avenge the death of two fellow supporters during a clash on Sunday with backers of President Megawati Sukarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P), a local Golkar party official said.

Mr I. Gusti Ketut Adiputra, deputy chief of the Golkar chapter in Bali, condemned both outbreaks of violence.

The bloodshed has sparked fears of unrest during parliamentary and presidential elections next year.

Vice-President Hamzah Haz said it "should serve as a warning that the next general election would be much different from the previous ones".

The attackers at Buleleng, located on the north coast of Bali, were armed with swords and axes, detective Darma said. He said one group drove around in jeeps, throwing petrol bombs, while another group was on foot.

"A house and a car belonging to a resident were damaged by the foot patrol mob, but fortunately there were no casualties. We have arrested a man who has admitted throwing the Molotov cocktails," he said. Police also seized four jeeps, petrol bombs, swords and axes.

The Jakarta Post quoted local police as saying that 26 people were detained after Sunday's killings and six of them would be charged.

Senior officials of both parties have called for calm among their supporters, who have clashed in the past.

PDI-P has 153 of the 500 seats in Parliament, while Golkar has 120. Some national leaders on each side have floated the idea of an election coalition between the two biggest nationalist parties to counter the influence of Islamic parties.

Indonesia will hold its general election on April 5 and its first direct presidential election on July 5.