JAKARTA, MAY 26: At least 33 people were killed in fresh religious clashes in Eastern Indonesian following an attack by Muslim fighters on Christians in remote north Maluku province, officials and religious leaders confirmed on Friday.The violence, which occurred on early Thursday, was the latest in a string of clashes in north Maluku and neighboring Maluku province, the once-fabled spice islands.More than 2,500 people have been killed in the region since January 1999, and thousands more forced to flee to neighboring provinces.Members of Laskar Jihad, a Java-based Muslim extremist group, were believed to be responsible for provoking the latest clashes, as well as participating in Thursday's attack, Christian leaders claimed.The latest carnage occurred in the seaside village of Mamuya when Muslims armed with military-style rifles and guns attacked from three directions. At least 26 Christians were killed and 61 seriously wounded, police, church and hospital officials said."The situation there is still tense," the police officer said adding the Christian community was mobilising to defend against another possible attack.
