Fighting between Christians and Moslems in Abon city continues, with security forces wounding ten while putting down a riot. Over a hundred people have been killed in a month of violence. One of the two airlines flying to Ambon has halted flights because of the violence. In North Sumatra, police used gunfire to break up a Hindu body piercing ritual (that had been outlawed by the previous government in an attempt to stamp out non Moslem rituals.)
August 15;On Batam island, feuding ethnic groups have accepted a peace agreement.
August 14; Civil disorder continued in Aceh province, despite the arrival of government troops. Buildings and vehicles have been set afire and gunfire can be heard at night. The disorder has killed over 220 people in the last three month.
August 13; The Resistance Council of East Timor has declared that it will only hand over its weapons to the UN (not to Indonesian police) and will do so only when the last Indonesian troops leave the territory. --Stephen V Cole