Bali explosion created tremor, says expert
Bali explosion created tremor, says expert
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali
An expert witness told judges in the trial of Ali Gufron, one of
the key suspects in the deadly Bali bombing, on Thursday that the
explosion caused a tremor equal to an earthquake measuring 0.2 on
the Richter scale.
Sanglah Geophysics Station head Jumardi Kartasuwito told the
Denpasar District Court that the tremor was felt by people as far
as 20 kilometers from the explosion.
Sanglah Geophysics Station head Jumardi Kartasuwito said the
tremor registered on two of eight seismographs on Bali.
The seismograph facilities in Sanglah and Bukit Ungasan
recorded the tremor at 11:08 p.m. local time on Oct. 12, 2002.
"There was only one single explosion, which lasted for about
five seconds, that took place at the 23rd hour, 8th minute and
31st second," he said.
The unique type and character of the explosion and tremor
convinced Jumardi that they were man-made.
"The power of the tremor was registered as ranging from MMI
(Modified Mercalli Intensity) category IV to category V, capable
of destroying windows, glass-panels of every building near the
center of the explosion."
The explosion and tremor was allegedly caused by a car-bomb,
which contained the mixture of TNT (trinitrotoluene), RDX
(cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine) and around one ton of
potassium chlorate.
The explosion obliterated the Sari Club, started a massive
fire, and killed at least 202 people, mostly foreign tourists, in
the bloodiest terrorist attack in Indonesian history.
It was the largest and most powerful of three bombs detonated
by terrorists.
Ali Gufron is alleged to have played a supervising role in the
bombing, channeling funds from his Malaysian contacts to finance
the terror.
He is charged with planning, organizing and conspiring
to conduct terrorism, sentences punishable by death. Two of his
younger brothers, Amrozi and Ali Imron, are also on trial.
Another witness, Badung Tourism Office head Oka Dharmawan said
the attack had impacted on tourism.
"The revenue from hotel and restaurant tax reached Rp 314
billion in 2001. In 2002 it decreased to Rp 241 billion and we
estimate that in 2003 it will further plunge to Rp 101 billion."
On Thursday, a total of 12 trials were held at six separate
venues, including the trial of Imam Samudra, the alleged
mastermind of the bombing, seven defendants from the Surakarta
group and three defendants from the Serang group.
Separately, hundreds of civil servants were evacuated from the
office of the regent of Badung in Sempidi after a bomb threat.
The Bali Police bomb squad, deployed near a trial in the Nari
Graha building, was immediately sent to Sempidi.
The squad combed the building and its surrounds for
almost three hours before declaring the threat a hoax.