JAKARTA, 27 July 2002 - Powerful bomb-like explosions hit Indonesia's troubled city of Ambon on Saturday, injuring 51 people, 10 of them seriously, a local official said on Saturday. Martin Djari, chief official at Ambon's information department, told Reuters there was more than one blast and they struck around 10:30 a.m. local time (0130 GMT). "It's so sad. The explosions happened at Mardika, a busy shopping area... Many people have been injured," he said.
He was speaking by phone from Ambon, 2,300 km east of Jakarta and the major hub in the Moluccas islands, where Muslim-Christian violence has killed at least 5,000 people in the past three years. Any major outbreak of violence in Ambon, or elsewhere in the islands, could threaten a landmark peace deal signed in February. The deal has held relatively well by Indonesian standards. "Looking at the type of wounds...there is a big possibility they were caused by bombs. We're still investigating," Djari said. "Police and army have secured the area."

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