The Jakarta Post, February 04, 2003
Police dealt slap in face by bomb blast at HQ
Damar Harsanto and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
What is often assumed to be the safest place can sometimes turn out to be the most
vulnerable to attack. This was graphically demonstrated on Monday morning when a
low-explosive bomb blew up at Wisma Bhayangkari, located in the same compound
as the National Police Headquarters on Jl. Sanjaya, South Jakarta, opposite the
Greek Embassy.
The blast injured one person and damaged two cars, as well as shattering windows in
the vicinity of the blast site.
The explosion seemed to leave egg all over the face of the National Police, as it took
place hard on the heels of concerted police efforts to combat terrorism -- including
their current investigations into suspects in the Bali and Christmas 2000 bombings.
Also ongoing are investigations into the Timika case in Papua, which allegedly
involved the Army, and into the alleged involvement of the Army's Special Forces
(Kopassus) in the Ambon conflict.
National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar regretted the bomb squad's failure to prevent
the explosion inside the country's police headquarters.
Speaking at a hearing with House of Representatives Commission II on legal and
home affairs, Da'i said that the police had earlier detected the bomb but failed to
prevent the explosion, saying, "we had to await the bomb squad, which unfortunately
arrived after the blast had already occurred."
Separately, National Police deputy spokesman Brig. Gen. Edward Aritonang gave the
excuse that the explosion was due to the lack of security checks around the venue.
"Wisma Bhayangkari is normally used as a venue for wedding ceremonies and
religious worship. As it is accessible to the public, security there is not as tight as in
other parts of the compound," Edward told a media briefing.
Edward also acknowledged the explosion would produce a heightened sense of fear in
the public as it had affected police property, supposedly one of the most secure
places of all.
"However, we have yet to receive a message from any group claiming responsibility for
the bombing ... We have yet to link the bombing with our current investigation into the
string of bombings around the country," said Aritonang.
The police concluded the device was a low-explosive pipe bomb consisting of
explosive black powder contained inside a 16-centimeter-long, 11-centimeter-diameter
steel pipe. A concrete plug was used at the bottom of the pipe, while the top was
covered by a steel plate wired to a timer and power supply from a motorcycle battery.
Police detectives also found about 130 fragments of steel shrapnel lying around the
blast scene, said Aritonang.
Aritonang added police were interrogating five witnesses over the bombing, but
declined to name them.
Police sources said they were Dewi Partogi (from the building management), Slamet
Sutikno (a gardener), Apang Jaya (a passerby), and Norman and Entik (janitors).
Da'i said that the incident had challenged the police to carry out an internal
investigation as well as hunt down the perpetrators.
"I apologize to the public for the incident, which may have caused alarm, as the
explosion took place inside the police compound.
"But I must assert that nobody can guarantee they are safe from terrorist threat, not
even the police," he said.
The bomb exploded at 7:10 a.m. and damaged the veranda of Wisma Bhayangkari.
Forty minutes earlier, two janitors, Entik, 54 and Norman, 45, found a suspicious
package wrapped in a black bag placed in a plant pot on the veranda of the building.
They reported their finding to a military police post nearby, which then contacted the
police bomb squad. Unfortunately, the bomb exploded nearly 10 minutes before the
squad arrived.
The bomb caused Iman Turmuhidin, 50, a sound system engineer, to sustain back
injuries due to flying glass. It also caused a woman officer working inside to faint. The
blast also damaged two cars, a blue Kijang van and a silver Great Corolla sedan
parked nearby, ruined the ceiling of the veranda and shattered windows around the
blast site.
The day before the explosion, the building had been used for a wedding reception by
Rita Julianti, a relative of pop singer Ully Sigar Rusady.
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