Bomb jolts Ambon; one found in Poso

Bomb jolts Ambon; one found in Poso

Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post/Poso, Central Sulawesi

A bomb blast jolted Ambon early on Thursday as Muslims prepared
to celebrate Idul Fitri, and later in the afternoon, some
hundreds of kilometers away, residents in Poso found a homemade
bomb in what apparently was renewed efforts by terrorists to
reignite sectarian conflict in the two religiously divided areas.

AFP reported that the blast in Ambon occurred at around 3.30
a.m. on a sidewalk and caused no casualties.

"It is estimated that it was a homemade bomb and the sound of
the blast was quite strong," Second Inspector Ined Elwarin of
Ambon Police said. He declined to give further details.

Five people near the blast scene were questioned by police.

Meanwhile, the bomb found in Poso was safely defused by a bomb
squad from the Central Sulawesi Police.

The small device was first found by local sub-district
neighborhood chief Gustaf Tajongga, who saw a suspicious package
in front of his house at about 6 p.m., and immediately reported
it to the police. It took about an hour for the bomb squad to
defuse the bomb.

Tension, which were high in the morning, later dissipated as
Muslims celebrated Idul Fitri.

Poso Police chief M. Sholeh said the people who planted the
bomb in front of the house clearly wanted to terrorize Muslim
residents during the Idul Fitri celebration.

He said that he believed the terrorists initially planned to
blow up the bomb in the morning when Muslims gathered for Idul
Fitri prayers, but tight security in the area made it difficult
for them to carry out their mission.

Meanwhile, thousands of Poso's Muslims gathered on Thursday at
the Sintuwu Moso field in front of the regency office building to
hear an Idul Fitri sermon.

Police and soldiers were also seen guarding several strategic
areas in the city.

Security forces had earlier warned of possible attacks to
coincide with the Idul Fitri holiday, following a small bomb that
exploded aboard a packed bus just south of Poso on Oct. 27, which
seriously injured several passengers.

Tensions increased in Poso following the beheading murders of
three Christian schoolgirls last Saturday, with about 1,000
police and soldiers sent to the area amid fears of further
violence.

Meanwhile, Central Sulawesi Police chief Sr. Comsr. Oegroseno
said police now had descriptions of the schoolgirls' murderers.
He declined to provide more details

Poso was last hit by serious Muslim-Christian violence in 2000
and 2001, when more than 1,000 people died. Despite a government-
sponsored truce at the end of 2001, intermittent violence has
continued in the area.