Bomb smashes health center in Gowa

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.