A motorboat with Christian passengers on board was attacked in Ambon harbour by snipers on speedboats. The Catholic diocesan Crisis centre reported that two people were killed and three injured. The event makes a tragic end to a few weeks of comparative peace during which several women's organisations, both Christian and Muslim, had got together to organise a morning market in the centre of town. Militant groups objected to the project and threw stones at the women at their stalls on Monday.
Missionaries report that hundreds of people scattered in the panic and fighting that ensued.
Several stalls were destroyed before the arrival of the security forces. Gangs of Christian and Moslem youths are reported to be roaming around the area. Shooting was heard last night from the Gudang Arang Christian quarters. Clare Short, Britain's minister for International Development will make a brief visit to Indonesia from 9-12 October.