Another bomb found in Medan, car wrecked by blast in Nganjuk
MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): Acts of terror following another bomb attack in Medan on Tuesday escalated after another explosive device was found near the city and a vehicle was destroyed in a suspected grenade explosion in the usually quiet town of Nganjuk, East Java.
The fifth explosive device in three days found in North Sumatra was discovered just outside Medan at dawn on Tuesday near the Trans Sumatra Highway in Lubuk Pakam, Deli Serdang, some 28 kilometers northeast of Medan.
The 60-centimeter long, 30-kilogram device was found lying on the side of the road in front of an automobile showroom by a passerby.
A team of policemen led by Lubuk Pakam Police chief Lt. Yusuf Sutejo arrived to secure the device and transport it to a local police station.
A police bomb squad was called in from Medan to defuse the explosive. No statement could be obtained from police about the device.
The province has been rocked by a spate of bomb attacks. On Sunday a bomb exploded in a Protestant church, injuring 47 people. Two other bombs which did not detonate were discovered in two other churches.
On Monday, another blast occurred in front of a restaurant, injuring three.
Following the string of incidents, North Sumatra Police chief Brig. Gen. Sutanto held a special meeting on Tuesday with Protestant preachers to calm the situation.
He reminded them that North Sumatra was commonly used as a barometer for inciting riots in the country and pointed to incidents in May 1998.
"I am sure, with adequate awareness and faith, we can safeguard our territory from provocateurs," Sutanto said.
The escalating terror did not stop in Medan. In Nganjuk, a blast destroyed a Suzuki minivan with Yogyakarta license plates. One of three passengers were killed in the blast.
Another passenger is in critical condition while the other apparently fled.
Police have identified the injured only as Asmi, 32.
How the explosion occurred remains a mystery. The police have voiced hope that Asmi will recover and explain the incident.
East Java Police chief of detectives Col. Suharto claimed the explosion was caused by a grenade or some type of ammunition friction inside the vehicle.
Suharto said it was believed the vehicle was heading for Surabaya or Surakarta.
The police say they found pieces of grenade fragments and discovered that the minivan was transporting grenades and hundreds of rounds of bullets.
Suharto declined to speculate on the cause or motive behind the blast, saying that it was still under investigation by the bomb squad and forensic team.
"Police will try to get more information from Asmi. We have already contacted Asmi's wife in Yogyakarta," Suharto said as quoted by Antara.
Awareness
Amid the persistent unrest and escalating acts of terror griping the country, Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Adm. Widodo A.S. said in Jakarta that security forces everywhere must increase their awareness and be prepared to anticipate rapid security changes across the country.
"To every TNI soldier, wherever they are, I order you to watch carefully and follow every development in the field so you will be prepared to move immediately," Widodo said as quoted by Antara
Widodo also warned soldiers to exercise self-restraint in handling matters and told them they must follow the correct and proper procedures, including following the chain of command.
Soldiers must not act impulsively to every incident, he said.
He further remarked that soldiers must also trust the police force to maintain law and order.
Widodo underlined that TNI would not tolerate any anarchic actions, especially against TNI members, and urged police to take stern measures against parties trying to disrupt the peace in the country.
"By all means, such action cannot be tolerated anymore because it costs the public and the country. Everybody has to realize that tension will only cause insecurity and corrode state life," Widodo added.(39/dja)