Jakarta - Fears were growing for the safety of up to 400 people fleeing Muslim-Christian violence in Indonesia's Maluku islands after a boat packed with refugees sank in rough seas yesterday.
Rescue boats which reached the area where the vessel was last seen, 40 miles east of Siau island off the northern tip of North Sulawesi, reported there was no sign of it or of survivors.
The ship left Tobelo on Halmahera island, North Maluku province, and sank in the Maluku Sea. Halmahera island has been the scene of some of the worst Muslim-Christian clashes that have plagued the Maluku islands since January 1999.
