The Jakarta Post, November 05, 2005
Bomb jolts Ambon; one found in Poso
Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post/Poso, Central Sulawesi
A bomb blast jolted Ambon early on Thursday as Muslims prepared to celebrate Idul
Fitri, and later in the afternoon, some hundreds of kilometers away, residents in Poso
found a homemade bomb in what apparently was renewed efforts by terrorists to
reignite sectarian conflict in the two religiously divided areas.
AFP reported that the blast in Ambon occurred at around 3.30 a.m. on a sidewalk and
caused no casualties.
"It is estimated that it was a homemade bomb and the sound of the blast was quite
strong," Second Inspector Ined Elwarin of Ambon Police said. He declined to give
further details.
Five people near the blast scene were questioned by police.
Meanwhile, the bomb found in Poso was safely defused by a bomb squad from the
Central Sulawesi Police.
The small device was first found by local sub-district neighborhood chief Gustaf
Tajongga, who saw a suspicious package in front of his house at about 6 p.m., and
immediately reported it to the police. It took about an hour for the bomb squad to
defuse the bomb.
Tension, which were high in the morning, later dissipated as Muslims celebrated Idul
Fitri.
Poso Police chief M. Sholeh said the people who planted the bomb in front of the
house clearly wanted to terrorize Muslim residents during the Idul Fitri celebration.
He said that he believed the terrorists initially planned to blow up the bomb in the
morning when Muslims gathered for Idul Fitri prayers, but tight security in the area
made it difficult for them to carry out their mission.
Meanwhile, thousands of Poso's Muslims gathered on Thursday at the Sintuwu Moso
field in front of the regency office building to hear an Idul Fitri sermon.
Police and soldiers were also seen guarding several strategic areas in the city.
Security forces had earlier warned of possible attacks to coincide with the Idul Fitri
holiday, following a small bomb that exploded aboard a packed bus just south of Poso
on Oct. 27, which seriously injured several passengers.
Tensions increased in Poso following the beheading murders of three Christian
schoolgirls last Saturday, with about 1,000 police and soldiers sent to the area amid
fears of further violence.
Meanwhile, Central Sulawesi Police chief Sr. Comsr. Oegroseno said police now had
descriptions of the schoolgirls' murderers. He declined to provide more details
Poso was last hit by serious Muslim-Christian violence in 2000 and 2001, when more
than 1,000 people died. Despite a government-sponsored truce at the end of 2001,
intermittent violence has continued in the area.
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