(14 Jul 2000) Natural Sound
XFA
Fighting between Muslims and Christians in the eastern Indonesian town of Ambon killed at least six people on Thursday, officials and witnesses said.
A Muslim civilian and a policeman were shot and killed by snipers during a clash in the centre of the capital of Maluku province, according to Malik Selang from the city's main Al-Fatah mosque.
Earlier, gunmen opened fire from two motorboats at a vessel approaching Ambon port, injuring four Muslim passengers and a soldier, he said.
Witnesses said Muslims retaliated by attacking Christian neighborhoods.
The official Antara news agency reported that four other people, believed to be Christians, were killed.
It said 12 people were injured.
Sporadic clashes have persisted despite the state of emergency imposed last month in the region, where 18 months of fighting between the two communities has claimed more than 3-thousand lives.
Animosities have been stoked by an influx of Muslim migrants from other parts of Indonesia.
They have upset the numerical balance between the two communities and have come to dominate retail trade.
The region is 2,600 kilometers (1,600 miles) northeast of Jakarta.
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