Bombs found in Ambon mosque
Bombs found in Ambon mosque
Muhammad Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon
Police have defused two homemade bombs found on Thursday
outside the Al Fatah grand mosque in the city of Ambon, renewing
fears of heightened tension that could threaten the fragile peace
in the province, which has been torn by years of sectarian
clashes.
Maluku Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Noviantoro said the police
bomb squad had defused the bombs, which were found by the
mosque's janitorial staff at about 11:00 a.m.
He said the bombs had been placed inside two pipes, each about
10 centimeters long with a diameter of 5 centimeters. Police are
still in the dark about the motive.
"Some people are just not happy with the improving security in
Maluku after years of conflict," Noviantoro said.
The discovery came amid fresh fear of rising tension in the
provincial capital of Ambon, where Muslims and Christians have
fought each other for some three years.
About half the population in Maluku are Christians. Since
1999, the fighting has claimed thousands of lives with an equal
number of victims on both sides.
The warring sides agreed to end fighting in a Jakarta-brokered
peace accord, signed early last year.
So far the accord has withstood the sporadic violence that
continues to erupt in Ambon and elsewhere in the province.
Last January, the blast from a homemade bomb led to a riot
that injured three people and damaged several vehicles.
The head of Ambon's Religious Affairs Office, Hasyim
Marasabessy, said that mosques and churches were prone to
attacks, as they could easily spark anger in people.
Police have so far been unable to identify or catch any of the
bombers, allowing the attacks to continue to provoke the masses.
"I am calling on the public to remain calm and not to let
themselves be provoked by the finding of these bombs, so that we
can maintain a conducive situation in Ambon," said police chief
Noviantoro.
Despite the simmering threat of violence, security has
improved since the signing of the peace accord.
The government had imposed a state of civil emergency in Ambon
but plans to revoke it, pending the election of a new governor to
the province. No date has been set for the election.