The Jakarta Post, April 11, 2006
Poso Police secure 40 handmade bombs
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Police secured 40 handmade bombs found by two children while playing in a
plantation in Lawanga subdistrict in Central Sulawesi town of Poso on Saturday night.
The massive finding was then reported to the police who immediately arrived on the
scene along with the Central Sulawesi Police bomb squad.
"All the handmade bombs are being kept at Poso Police Headquarters for
investigation," a police officer, who asked to remain anonymous, told Antara by phone
Sunday.
He said the situation in Poso was safe despite widespread rumors there would be
large scale protests to reject the planned execution of death row convicts Fabianus
Tibo, Dominggus da Silva and Marinus Riwu.
"Transportation through Poso is still operating as usual, even traditional markets and
shops are crowded and busy," he said.
The bombs were the third finding in the past month in conflict-torn Poso. In early
March, police also secured five handmade bombs from behind a school building in
Lawanga subdistrict and in mid March, they secured 11 handmade bombs in Sayo
district.
Meanwhile, Central Sulawesi Police Chief Brig. Gen. Oegroseno said that despite the
fact that many firearms and ammunition had been surrendered to the police by Poso
residents, many people were still holding on to them.
"We suspect that many dangerous firearms left from the time of conflict have not yet
been surrendered to the police by residents for fear they would be accused of being
terrorists," he said.
He said in the last three months, the police regularly found handmade bombs or rusty
firearms dumped in forested areas or empty houses.
"This is the reality that we have to face," he said, adding that the police would
encourage civilians to surrender firearms to the police to ensure their safe disposal.
Central Sulawesi Police issued a regulation on March 23, requiring all residents to
surrender their firearms, ammunition and explosive devices to the nearest police
station.
The regulation, published in the mass media and broadcast on local electronic media,
set a deadline of April 23 before police would start a major crackdown on illegal
weapons.
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