Ambon bomb blast kills four

Ambon bomb blast kills four

The Jakarta Post, Ambon/Jakarta

At least four people were killed and 58 others wounded when a
high-powered bomb exploded in the country's eastern town of Ambon
on Wednesday, severely disrupting February's peace pact to end
three years of bloodshed on the Maluku islands.

The death toll could increase as many of those wounded
sustained serious injuries. Some of them suffered broken legs
requiring them to be amputated, said local hospital officials.
Local police confirmed the four deaths.

Shortly after the huge blast, the provincial governor's office
was set ablaze by a mob of unidentified people when Christians
stoned the building while protesting against the bombing.

Witnesses said the bomb was thrown into a crowd of people
outside the Nelayan karaoke bar located in front of the Amboina
Hotel on Jl. Kapitan Hulupaha, about 700 meters from the
governor's office.

They said hands, arms and legs were found littered across the
streets at the bomb site. The blast also shattered the windows of
the six-story Amboina hotel and the karaoke bar.

The area was one of the city's crowded centers where Muslims
and Christians used to mingle every day since the peace accord
was signed on Feb. 12. It was also close to a bus stop where
dozens of commuters usually got on and off public vehicles.

"The bomb was hurled into the crowd from a red Kijang van that
passed the Nelayan karaoke bar," Adj. Sr. Comr. Jhony Tangkudung,
detective chief of the Maluku Provincial Police, told The Jakarta
Post, quoting reports from witnesses.

It was not clear whether the bombers were linked to religious
hard-liners who opposed the peace agreement. No group has claimed
responsibility for the powerful explosion that took place at
around 11:30 a.m. local time.

However, Jhony said: "The car later drove off toward the
Simpang Muslim area".

He said the bomb was a modified home-made explosive device of
high intensity.

"I heard an extremely strong explosion from the Jl. Kapitan
Hulupaha area," Andre J. Sitanala, general manager of a hotel
located around 700 meters from the scene, told the Post.

"I could feel the tremor here," he said. His neighbors said
the windows of their houses or shops shook during the explosion.

Andre said the blast sparked panic among local people and
forced most of them to leave their workplaces as the local
security authorities told them to stay home while they patrolled
the city.

It also triggered anger among Christians and prompted
thousands to converge on the nearby governor's office and torch
parts of the complex at around 1:30 p.m., witnesses said.

"When the protesters were stoning the buildings, a fire
erupted from the back of the office and later spread to other
parts," a witness said.

Police fired warning shots over the heads of the protesters,
who eventually dispersed.

The fire was not put out until late Wednesday night as there
was only one fire truck available. It destroyed three floors of
the office, including an office of Maluku Governor Saleh
Latuconsina.

There were no reports of casualties in the fire, which forced
civil servants to evacuate.

The four bodies and the 58 wounded victims were taken to
Ambon's Haullusy General Hospital, Maluku Protestant Hospital and
Bhakti Rahayu Hospital respectively for autopsies and medical
treatment. The dead were identified as Henky Tohumuri, Julius
Tomasoa, Marten Hatu and Ronny Keliwai.

Parts of Ambon were still tense on Wednesday night, with
hundreds of police and troops guarding the explosion site and
other parts of the city, but traffic had returned to normal by
late afternoon.

It was the worst outbreak of violence since leaders of both
warring factions signed the peace agreement in the hill resort of
Malino in South Sulawesi.

Some 6,000 people have been killed during a cycle of religious
conflict that first broke out on Jan. 19, 1999. Since the
landmark February pact took effect, Maluku has been largely calm
and there have been several rallies by Christians and Muslims to
celebrate the agreement that has faced opposition from hard-
liners.

The governor and the provincial police and military commanders
met local Muslim and Christian leaders on Wednesday to discuss
efforts to prevent more attacks.

Despite the peace accord, parts of the Maluku islands are
still under a state of civil emergency. That allows security
forces to search houses and detain suspects as well as clamp down
on media they classify as provocative.

In Jakarta, Vice President Hamzah Haz urged the security
authorities in Ambon to take resolute action against the bombers.