The Australian, November 13, 2004
Indonesian blast kills five
From correspondents in Jakarta, Indonesia
A BOMB on a minibus exploded today on Indonesia's Sulawesi island, killing five
people and raising tensions in a region where religious fighting killed nearly 1000
people three years ago.
The bomb exploded at 9.15am local time (12.15pm AEDT) as the bus waited in a
crowded market in the town of Poso, in Central Sulawesi province, Police Major Rudi
Trenggono said. Three people were killed instantly on the bus and two victims later
died at the hospital, he said.
Four others were injured.
Major Trenggonno said the bus was heading to the Christian village of Silancak.
He said no one had been arrested but police were searching for two men seen leaving
the scene on a motorcycle.
"Witnesses saw the men put something in the minibus before running away," Major
Trenggonno said.
Central Sulawesi has seen an increase in attacks and bomb blasts, mostly on
Christians in the past year, with police blaming some of them on the al-Qaeda linked
terror group Jemaah Islamiah.
The group - which also has been blamed for a string of terror attacks including the
October 12, 2002, Bali bombing - wants to establish an Islamic state, and officials
believe Jemaah Islamiah was trying to re-ignite communal fighting in Poso.
The town was a major battleground in fighting between Christians and Muslims three
years ago, where about 1000 people were killed and tens of thousands of others
displaced.
Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, but Central Sulawesi has
roughly equal Muslim and Christian populations. The province lies 1600 kilometres
northeast of the capital, Jakarta.
Source: AP
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