The Hindu : International : Indonesian church minister killed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004

International

International

Indonesian church minister killed

JAKARTA: Unidentified gunmen burst into a church in central Indonesia and opened fire, killing the woman minister and wounding four worshippers, police said on Monday. The killing on Sunday evening took place in Palu, central Sulawesi province, which has been hit by sporadic violence between Muslims and Christians since 2001. At least 1,000 people have been killed. Two men armed with automatic weapons overpowered the security guard at Palu's Effata Church before opening fire, the national police spokesman Gen. Paiman said. The preacher Susianti Tinulele was killed instantly, and four others were injured, he said. ``We are trying to determine the motive,'' said Gen. Paiman, who goes by a single name. ``It is very disturbing that attacks like this continue to happen in churches in Palu.'' In May, gunmen killed a prominent Christian prosecutor in Palu as he left church. The town, 600 km northeast of Jakarta, was a major battleground in fighting between Christians and Muslims three years ago. Large-scale clashes between the two sides have now subsided, but occasional shootings and bomb blasts still take place in the region.

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