October 16, 2006
Christian reverend shot dead in Palu

Palu (ANTARA News) - Gunmen on a motorcycle on Monday shot dead a Christian reverend in Palu, the capital of religiously-divided Central Sulawesi province, residents said.Reverened Irianto Kongkoli, 40, was shot in the head and died on the spot, AFP reported quoting the residents as saying.The reverend, who is also the general secretary of the Central Sulawesi Communion of Churches, was shot as he and his wife shopped for ceramic tiles at a building materials shop in south Palu.Police were not immediately available for comment.Central Sulawesi, where Muslims and Christians live in about equal numbers, has seen intermittent violence between people of the two faiths since open conflict raged there in 2000 and 2001, killing some 1,000 people.Low-level violence in the province's Poso district has flared again with several bombings since the September 22 execution of three Christians who were convicted of inciting violence against Muslims in 2000. (*)
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