Police, soldiers clash in east Indonesia, two dead

elations between the military and police have sometimes been tense in some parts of Indonesia since the police, who were under the military's command until 1999, were given new powers.

The trouble began after after some soldiers, believed to be drunk, accused two policemen of insulting them, Mustofa said.

The soldiers threw bottles at the policemen and beat them up.

One policeman was killed on Monday in the provincial capital, Ternate, and another was stabbed to death by unknown assailants early Tuesday on another island in the province, he said.