Ambon troops to shoot on sight

Dozens of buildings have been torched

Indonesian troops have been ordered to shoot snipers on sight in Ambon, where religious violence has left at least 30 people dead.

Fighting between Muslims and Christians has been raging in the capital of the Moluccan Islands since Tuesday.

The Christian community is now urging the United Nations to intervene.

Soldiers have been ordered to shoot snipers

Violence continued on Friday, with two soldiers and a civilian reportedly shot dead by snipers in the centre of the city.

More than 100 people have been injured and dozens of houses and a church have been torched during this week's fighting, the worst in several months.

Military commander Brigadier General Max Tamaela told the state news agency Antara: "The concrete action is to prevent riots from spreading ... therefore the shoot on sight order ... is to be implemented."

Plea for help

More than 2,500 people have been killed in the Moluccas since fighting broke out in January 1999.

The latest violence appears to have been fuelled by the recent arrival of around 2,000 hardline Muslims who have declared what they call a "holy war" against the Christians.

Lawyers for Ambon's Christian community said they were drafting a letter to the UN, asking it to intervene.

"We have to request UN intervention because the government's security troops can no longer stand up to and stop clashes in this province," church official Noya Fileopistos told the French news agency AFP.

Gunfire

Ambon's airport was closed on Friday, and smoke from burned buildings hung over the port city.

Reports said bomb explosions and the rattle of gunfire had echoed through the city overnight, mainly in the Christian quarters.

Police have not prevented the Muslim radicals travelling to Ambon, about 2,300km (1,400 miles) east of Jakarta.

Reuters news agency reported that another small group was allowed to board an Ambon-bound ferry in the port town of Surabaya on Friday.