Sulawesi alert over fresh violence

Indonesia has stepped up security in its central province of Sulawesi after a fresh outbreak of religious violence at the weekend.

A Christian minister and his driver were found dead in a river near Poso, and Muslim crowds surrounded a police station to protest at recent killings.

More than 2,000 police and soldiers were put on alert, though the streets of Poso were reported quiet on Monday.

Religious violence has dogged the province despite a 2001 peace deal.

The latest outbreak stems from the killing in October of at least eight Christians by gunmen.

An Indonesian official has linked that attack with regional Islamic militant group Jemaah Islamiah.

Police have made a number of arrests and on Saturday shot dead another suspect, Hamid.

A crowd of several hundred people took to the streets on Sunday to protest against the violence against Muslims.

More than 80% of Indonesians are Muslim. But in certain parts of the country, such as central Sulawesi, the number of Christians matches that of the Muslims.