Bomb hoaxes hit country's major cities
YOGYAKARTA (JP): A series of bomb hoaxes has hit Indonesia's major cities of Yogyakarta, Surabaya and Bandung in the past couple of days.
The police's bomb squad was dispatched to the Yogyakarta District Court after the discovery of two mysterious packages at about 9:30 a.m., minutes before a ceremony marking the changing of guard at the district court.
The packages were first located by a cleaning service worker named Jeki near the courthouse entrance.
"He quickly notified the on-duty police officer and later the packages were taken to the Umbulhardjo Police substation before being tested at a shooting range at the Gondowulung Mobile Brigade (Brimob) compound," Brimob deputy chief in Yogyakarta Capt. Imam Widodo told The Jakarta Post by phone.
"It turned out that the packages contained eight computer disks, wires and batteries wrapped in plastic tape and assembled to look like bombs. There was also a Pindad-made tear gas grenade inside one of the boxes," Imam explained.
One of the boxes bears a Dephankam stamp, the abbreviation of Ministry of Security and Defense, and the ministry's logo.
"We are still probing the matter as this is clearly an attempt to disrupt public order. We urge people to stay calm and not easily be provoked," he said.
Rumors of two bombs planted at Tugu Railway Station also circulated on Saturday.
The town remained calm on Tuesday despite the bomb hoaxes.
In Surabaya, security concerns are intensifying after the police received a report of bomb threat from staff at Widya Mandala Catholic University on Monday. It was the fourth report within a week.
"A man called and said there were three bombs in the building," said Mainiran, a security chief at the university.
The police's Gegana bomb squad rushed to the scene led by Surabaya Police chief Col. Sri Kresno Bawono.
"Thank God it was only a hoax," Kresno said. An explosion occurred at an open field belonging to Surabaya tap water company PDAM in Ngagel on Saturday. No fatalities were reported in the incident.
Bomb threats were also received on Tuesday at Surabaya University and by the Argo Wilis executive train which travels between Surabaya and Yogyakarta, Kresno said.
He added that the police would cooperate with state-owned telecommunications company PT Telkom to establish a call tracking system.
In Bandung, the capital of West Java, another bomb threat was made by a man with a Sundanese accent to the management of Bandung Indah Plaza. Telephone operator Adji Tarmudji took the message at 11:30 a.m. on Monday.
An anonymous man earlier in the day claimed to have planted a bomb in the immigration office on Jl. Surapati.
"After hearing the message, we quickly cleared the building," Riawan Pramudjo, head of the office said.
"The police only arrived here at around 12:30 p.m. and the activities here were put on hold," he added.
West Java Police spokesman Maj. Dade Achmad urged people on Tuesday to notify the police immediately if they had any information regarding the bomb threats. (25/nur/swa/edt)