Bombs explode near Medan church

Bombs explode near Medan church

MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): Two bombs exploded near a small
Protestant church here on Sunday morning, but no injuries and
only minor damages resulted from the blast, official and
witnesses said.

The first blast came from a bomb planted in front of the gate
of the Kemenangan Iman Indonesia (Indonesia's Victory of Faith)
Church on Jl. Bunga Kenanga in the outskirts of Padang Bulan
around 8 a.m. local time.

"The eruption took place before Sunday mass. It damaged the
gate and a tree nearby was burned," a witness said, adding that
it caused panicked churchgoers to rush out of the building
immediately.

The second explosive, wrapped in plastic, was found nearby by
residents and church workers who combed the area shortly after
the first blast. The latest bomb exploded when it was thrown into
a swamp by one of the church workers.

Police confirmed that the two explosives were bombs, but
declined to link Sunday's incident to a series of bomb blasts
that hit the capital of North Sumatra in May. At least 50 people
were injured in the previous attacks.

"They were definitely bombs but we have not yet identified the
type. We found nails in the wreckage of the second device," said
Medan Baru Police detective chief Second Insp. M. Jawak.

North Sumatra Police spokesman Supt. Amrin Karim said the two
hand-made bombs were low explosive ones. "They could not destroy
buildings," Amrin said.

"So far there is no sufficient proof that the Sunday
explosions are in the same chain with the May blasts," he added.

The town was tense following the blasts, although shops
remained open and public transportation continued operating.
People cut back on outdoor activities and the streets were quiet.

Amrin called on people to stay calm and avoid becoming
provoked into aggressive action by the incident.

"Let's fight the terror and prove that North Sumatran people
are not easily provoked," he said.

On May 28, a bomb exploded during a service at the Indonesian
Protestant Church in downtown Medan, injuring 47 members of the
congregation. Two other bombs were planted at two different
churches here, but they did not explode. A day after, an
explosion destroyed the upmarket Marimar Restaurant on Jl.
Pemuda, injuring three pedestrians.

Many fear that provocative incidents such as the bombing in
Medan will lead to greater communal-religious unrest similar to
that in Maluku and North Maluku. (39/edt)