Ambon bomb blast kills four<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Ambon\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
At least four people were killed and 58 others wounded when a
\nhigh-powered bomb exploded in the country's eastern town of Ambon
\non Wednesday, severely disrupting February's peace pact to end
\nthree years of bloodshed on the Maluku islands.<\/p>\n
The death toll could increase as many of those wounded
\nsustained serious injuries. Some of them suffered broken legs
\nrequiring them to be amputated, said local hospital officials.
\nLocal police confirmed the four deaths.<\/p>\n
Shortly after the huge blast, the provincial governor's office
\nwas set ablaze by a mob of unidentified people when Christians
\nstoned the building while protesting against the bombing.<\/p>\n
Witnesses said the bomb was thrown into a crowd of people
\noutside the Nelayan karaoke bar located in front of the Amboina
\nHotel on Jl. Kapitan Hulupaha, about 700 meters from the
\ngovernor's office.<\/p>\n
They said hands, arms and legs were found littered across the
\nstreets at the bomb site. The blast also shattered the windows of
\nthe six-story Amboina hotel and the karaoke bar.<\/p>\n
The area was one of the city's crowded centers where Muslims
\nand Christians used to mingle every day since the peace accord
\nwas signed on Feb. 12. It was also close to a bus stop where
\ndozens of commuters usually got on and off public vehicles.<\/p>\n
\"The bomb was hurled into the crowd from a red Kijang van that
\npassed the Nelayan karaoke bar,\" Adj. Sr. Comr. Jhony Tangkudung,
\ndetective chief of the Maluku Provincial Police, told The Jakarta
\nPost, quoting reports from witnesses.<\/p>\n
It was not clear whether the bombers were linked to religious
\nhard-liners who opposed the peace agreement. No group has claimed
\nresponsibility for the powerful explosion that took place at
\naround 11:30 a.m. local time.<\/p>\n
However, Jhony said: \"The car later drove off toward the
\nSimpang Muslim area\".<\/p>\n
He said the bomb was a modified home-made explosive device of
\nhigh intensity.<\/p>\n
\"I heard an extremely strong explosion from the Jl. Kapitan
\nHulupaha area,\" Andre J. Sitanala, general manager of a hotel
\nlocated around 700 meters from the scene, told the Post.<\/p>\n
\"I could feel the tremor here,\" he said. His neighbors said
\nthe windows of their houses or shops shook during the explosion.<\/p>\n
Andre said the blast sparked panic among local people and
\nforced most of them to leave their workplaces as the local
\nsecurity authorities told them to stay home while they patrolled
\nthe city.<\/p>\n
It also triggered anger among Christians and prompted
\nthousands to converge on the nearby governor's office and torch
\nparts of the complex at around 1:30 p.m., witnesses said.<\/p>\n
\"When the protesters were stoning the buildings, a fire
\nerupted from the back of the office and later spread to other
\nparts,\" a witness said.<\/p>\n
Police fired warning shots over the heads of the protesters,
\nwho eventually dispersed.<\/p>\n
The fire was not put out until late Wednesday night as there
\nwas only one fire truck available. It destroyed three floors of
\nthe office, including an office of Maluku Governor Saleh
\nLatuconsina.<\/p>\n
There were no reports of casualties in the fire, which forced
\ncivil servants to evacuate.<\/p>\n
The four bodies and the 58 wounded victims were taken to
\nAmbon's Haullusy General Hospital, Maluku Protestant Hospital and
\nBhakti Rahayu Hospital respectively for autopsies and medical
\ntreatment. The dead were identified as Henky Tohumuri, Julius
\nTomasoa, Marten Hatu and Ronny Keliwai.<\/p>\n
Parts of Ambon were still tense on Wednesday night, with
\nhundreds of police and troops guarding the explosion site and
\nother parts of the city, but traffic had returned to normal by
\nlate afternoon.<\/p>\n
It was the worst outbreak of violence since leaders of both
\nwarring factions signed the peace agreement in the hill resort of
\nMalino in South Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
Some 6,000 people have been killed during a cycle of religious
\nconflict that first broke out on Jan. 19, 1999. Since the
\nlandmark February pact took effect, Maluku has been largely calm
\nand there have been several rallies by Christians and Muslims to
\ncelebrate the agreement that has faced opposition from hard-
\nliners.<\/p>\n
The governor and the provincial police and military commanders
\nmet local Muslim and Christian leaders on Wednesday to discuss
\nefforts to prevent more attacks.<\/p>\n
Despite the peace accord, parts of the Maluku islands are
\nstill under a state of civil emergency. That allows security
\nforces to search houses and detain suspects as well as clamp down
\non media they classify as provocative.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, Vice President Hamzah Haz urged the security
\nauthorities in Ambon to take resolute action against the bombers.<\/p>",
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