Bomb rocks Central Sulawesi Police Headquarters
PALU, Central Sulawesi (JP): A blast hit Central Sulawesi Police Headquarters in the provincial capital of Palu on Tuesday, forcing dozens of officers to evacuate the building in panic.
No fatalities were reported in the incident, which occurred at about 11:45 a.m. at the same time that dozens of refugees from Poso were outside the provincial police headquarters protesting against the police's inability to resolve the prolonged conflict in their hometown, some 220 kilometers east of here.
Central Sulawesi Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus Sugianto said the explosion was caused by a homemade bomb in the front yard of the police headquarters.
The refugees told provincial police deputy chief Sr. Comr. Taufik Ridha that they demanded a Christian leader and that police officers be arrested for their alleged role in the Poso communal conflicts, which have been ongoing for the past 42 months and claimed hundreds of lives.
Taufik declined the protesters' request to visit four people who were arrested last week in possession of thousands of rounds of ammunition, but allowed the Poso people to see the suspects behind a glass screen.
Some of the protesters refused to queue up and ran behind the building to take a closer look at the four suspects from the back door. By that time the bomb had exploded.
Taufik quickly ordered a search of the protesters but officers had to chase some of the refugees who were afraid of being searched.
At least two people, who were not protesters, were injured when police opened fire and used force to prevent the refugees from escaping the search. A local resident, identified as Ahmad, 21, was admitted to Undata Hospital to have a bullet removed from his waist.
Police apprehended some 50 people and confiscated two pistols along with eight bullets.
Coordinator of the rally, Lili, denied allegations that the bomb and weapons were possessed by the protesting refugees.
"There must be some infiltrators in our group," he said.
Another Poso figure, Rizal, insisted that nobody participating in the rally was armed.
"We are not going into a battlefield. We just want to air our aspirations," Rizal said.
Dozens of police continued to search the refugee camp in the Indonesian Youth Committee building, some four kilometers from the police headquarters. The move ignored Taufik's statement that no further measures against the refugees were necessary.
At least six refugees were injured from beatings they received when resisting police actions and at least 15 people were questioned following the clash.
A local legislative councillor, Yus Mangun, condemned the attack and said he would report the incident to President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is scheduled to visit Palu on Friday. (25)