Indonesian bishop fears 'killing fields' as violence escalates

Published: 2004-04-30

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Fear that a recent wave of deadly violence in Ambon, the provincial capital of Indonesia's Moluccan islands, could spiral out of control has prompted the city's bishop to call for U.N. intervention. Bishop Petrus Mandagi of Ambon has appealed to the United Nations to pressure the Indonesian government to put an end to the violence. "If the central government cannot end this violence, Ambon will be the killing fields," Bishop Mandagi told Catholic News Service in a telephone interview April 30. "There is no law here; it is too easy to kill. Those who want to kill and burn houses can go around and do (so) because there is no law here," he said. Deadly clashes broke out April 25 after about a dozen members of the region's small, mostly Christian separatist movement paraded through Ambon to mark the anniversary of a failed independence bid 54 years ago, The Associated Press reported.

Copyright (c) 2004 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .