Serpong blast linked to X-mas bombings: Forum<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Forum for Peace (FID) revealed on
\nWednesday that the bombing of a railroad track in Serpong, about
\n30 kilometers from the city on Monday, was likely linked to the
\nChristmas Eve blasts that rocked Jakarta and other regions in the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
\"There are similarities in all the incidents: all bombs
\ncontained trinitrotoluene (TNT), there was no specific target of
\nthe blast and no group or individual claimed responsibility for
\nthe incident,\" Asmara Nababan, who heads the FID's fact-finding
\nteam on the bombings, said.<\/p>\n
\"However, this pattern will bring us to the perpetrators,\" he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
TNT is an explosive commonly used by the Indonesian Military
\n(TNI) and mining companies.<\/p>\n
On Monday a bomb exploded on a railway track which crosses the
\nCisadane river in Serpong, Banten province, shortly after a
\nfreight train passed. No casualties were reported.<\/p>\n
The team concluded that the bombings were aimed at creating
\nunrest so that the public may surmise that conditions under
\nSoeharto's regime were preferable to the present. People would
\nthen wish for a return to the past government, according to human
\nrights activist Munir, a member of the team.<\/p>\n
\"We're afraid that the acts of terrorism are aimed at
\ndeveloping a new conservatism in society in support of the old
\nrepressive government, as fear stemming from these acts never
\noccurred previously,\" Munir told journalists on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Nababan said they will look into which group stands to benefit
\nmost from a return to the old power.<\/p>\n
\"When the results of our inquiry are completed next month,
\nwe'll reveal more,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The forum, however, failed to identify the perpetrators behind
\nthe bombing incident as team members had limited access to
\nmilitary and police institutions to find further information or
\nconfirm their findings.<\/p>\n
\"We have no legitimate authority for our work. We gather data,
\ninformation and testimonies but we cannot confirm them with the
\nstate's intelligence body or the military.<\/p>\n
\"Consequently, all we can do now is to analyze all the
\ninformation we've got, but we cannot point the finger at
\nparticular persons involved in the bombings,\" he told The Jakarta
\nPost on Wednesday at his office.<\/p>\n
He said authorities had failed to investigate the bombings and
\nto prevent other incidents because of a conflict of interest
\namong themselves.<\/p>\n
\"How can they succeed in the investigation if there is still a
\nconflict of interest? On one hand the police are eager to solve
\nthe case, but, on the other hand, some of them have tried to
\nprotect the suspects,\" Nababan added.<\/p>\n
The forum is a voluntary council set up by activists soon
\nafter the Dec. 24 bombings to help the government find the
\nperpetrators. Nineteen people were killed when bombs exploded in
\nJakarta and several other places in the country.<\/p>\n
In the beginning of its work, the forum members were very
\noptimistic. They believed they would be able to reveal the
\nmasterminds and they claimed they had sufficient information to
\ndo so. But they later withdrew their statements.<\/p>\n
The government had once proposed the establishment of a joint
\nteam, which would include the police, military, intelligence
\nbody, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and
\nthe forum, to probe the Christmas bombings.<\/p>\n
The joint team would be empowered with wider authority as it
\nwas to be endorsed by a presidential decree. The idea proposed in
\nJanuary has yet to materialize.<\/p>\n
Komnas HAM's secretary-general Nababan, said the forum had
\nlost hope in the government, which had failed to demonstrate a
\nstrong will to solve the recent bombings. (bby)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/serpong-blast-linked-to-x-mas-bombings-forum-1447893297",
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