Bomb hoaxes hit country's major cities

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)