Ambon (Fides) - "Neither euphoria nor sadness, people in Ambon, Moluccas are prudent and cautious, still afraid of bombings at schools, markets other public places. Christians and Muslims keep to their own areas." Fides Service was told this by Fr Carl Bohm, of Amboina diocese Crisis Centre who described the present situation after a 2001 peace accord put an end to two years of bloody ethnic clashes. There is an improvement he assures us. In fact about 1,000 members of the Laskar Jihad fundamentalist group evacuated the Islands. Moreover Laskar Jihad was demobilised on October 15 and the headquarters in Jakarta shut down. Fides Service was told by Protestant Christian pastor W. J. Hendriks, "Christians here are at last beginning to realise that not all Muslims are Laskar Jihad members and our Muslims see that not all Moluccas Christians are not extremists of the Christian Independent Republic Movement. This is a good start for peace." (Fides Service 23/10/2002)