Bomb smashes health center in Gowa

Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Gowa, South Sulawesi

An explosion shattered the Bontobiraeng public health center in Gowa Regency, South Sulawesi on Tuesday, but police ruled out suggestions it may have been politically motivated.

The explosion, which took place in the early morning hours Tuesday, destroyed all the medicine cabinets, furniture and other medical equipment inside the building.

No casualties were reported as the building was empty at that time.

Police authorities are now examining the type of explosives used.

"We don't know the type of bomb yet, because it is still being examined by the South Sulawesi Criminal Laboratory," said Gowa Police Chief Comr. Machmud A.

The explosion came just three weeks after a bomb destroyed part of a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet in Makassar.

But Machmud also ruled out suggestions that the explosion in Bontobiraeng, located around 50 kilometers south of Makassar, was related to the KFC bomb, which was probably associated to anti- U.S. sentiment.

"This bomb has no political undertones. We are suspecting that the explosion is related to a land dispute," he said.

According to Machmud, last year a man, claiming to be the owner of the land where the health center was situated, wanted his land back, but was told that his brother had already sold the land.

"As for the suspect, we are looking for him because he left the village immediately after the bomb exploded," Machmud said.

He also said that it was difficult to find eyewitnesses.

"Nobody witnessed the explosion at that hour," Machmud said.

Local resident Hamzah told the Post that local residents never thought the deafening sound was a bomb.

"We only knew it in the morning when we saw the Health Center was completely destroyed," he said.

Hamzah said almost immediately after the explosion some local residents heard the sound of a motorcycle leaving the area.

"They thought the motorcycle belonged to police chasing after robbers because just one kilometer away from the explosion site there was a robbery," he said.

Abdul Azis Syah, former Bontobiraeng village chief, doubted if the incident was related to anti-U.S. protests in Makassar.

"I don't think there is a connection (between anti-U.S. protests in Makassar and) this bomb," he said.