Bomb fears return to Ambon after two more devices found

Bomb fears return to Ambon after two more devices found

M. Azis Tunny, Ambon, Maluku

The police have found two bombs in the Maluku capital of Ambon,
bringing renewed fear to the city as it struggles to get back to
normalcy following disturbances last month.

The low explosive bombs were discovered on Sunday in two
separate places. One was found in front of the Surya shop in
Wainitu subdistrict, Nusaniwe district, while the other was
discovered in front of the Citra Supermarket on Jl. Tulukabessy,
Mardika, downtown Ambon.

The first bomb -- a 12-centimeter-long and four-centimeter-
wide pipe bomb -- was left under a table in front of the Surya
shop.

The second was found on Monday morning in a garbage bin in
front of Citra Supermarket in the city. The bomb was found by
local residents along with shattered glasses wrapped in a paper.

"Residents discovered the two bombs and they reported them to
the police. They were both low explosive bombs," said a spokesman
for the Maluku Provincial Police, Comr. Endro Prasetyo.

The officer said that provincial police headquarters had
questioned five people, but they had been released shortly
thereafter due to a lack of evidence linking them to the bombs.

Only three hours after the second bomb was found, a further
bomb scare shook the city.

This latest scare occurred near the Sahabat Hotel on Jl. Said
Perintah in Ambon city. Upon seeing a plastic bag left unattended
in front of a clothing store next to the Sahabat Hotel, residents
evacuated the area and reported their suspicions to the police. A
police bomb disposal unit arrived quickly on the scene, but the
bag was found to contain nothing more dangerous than a wet cloth.

The finding of the two bombs has aroused new fears among city
residents.

"I'm afraid to hang out in public places. I'm really afraid of
bombs," said Franky Soplanit, 24.

Meanwhile, police and Indonesian military (TNI) personnel have
intensified their searches for bombs and weapons in several areas
of Ambon. They are also conducting random checks on passersby and
vehicles around the city.

Endro said that the police and TNI had detained a number of
people during the searches, and had seized weapons from them.
Those detained were now being dealt with in accordance with the
law, said Endro.

Ambon was rocked at the end of April by renewed disturbances
that the authorities seem intent on blaming on the separatist
Maluku Sovereignty Front (FKM), which held a rally on April 25 to
commemorate the 54th anniversary of the proclamation of the South
Maluku Republic (RMS).

The disturbances were the most severe of a series of sporadic
outbreaks of violence since the ending of the four-year sectarian
conflict that began in Maluku province in 1999.

The long-simmering conflict finally came to a head in Ambon in
1999, with the immediate spark that set it off being a trivial
argument between a public transportation driver and a passenger
of different faiths. Thousands of Muslims and Christians were
killed in the four years of bloody conflict, and hundreds of
thousands of others were forced to flee their homes, and even
their home province.