Bombs terrorize Palu, police tighten up security
Bombs terrorize Palu, police tighten up security
Erik W., The Jakarta Post, Palu
Unexploded bombs were discovered in several places in the Central
Sulawesi capital of Palu on Friday, frightening locals further
after a bomb blast one day earlier seriously injured three people
outside the city's Marantha Bible School.
The bombs were discovered separately at the Palu Mitra Utama
shopping center, the Bala Keselamatan Hospital, a government
office on Jl. Cendrawasih and a kiosk on Jl. Tanjung Harapan.
The discoveries forced local authorities to tighten security
in Palu, particularly at houses of worship and other public
places, to prevent the situation from worsening.
Meanwhile, a suspected bomb found at Eklesia Pantekosta Church
on Jl. Thamrin turned out to be a hoax.
Members of the provincial police's Mobile Brigade managed to
defuse the homemade bombs at each place in the morning. However,
the discovery of the bombs caused panic among local residents.
"Our life is not really safe," a woman on Jl. Tanjung Harapan
told The Jakarta Post.
Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Zainal Abidin Ishak
said the bomb scares showed the security situation in Palu was
"extremely vulnerable".
"I ask police in districts and regency administrations to
organize patrols. Anybody out after midnight needs to be
questioned," he said.
Zainal said his office would soon set up a special team to
deal with the terrorism in the city and hunt for the
perpetrators and other culprits.
Asked whether rioters were moving to Palu as the conflict-torn
town of Poso was under tight security, he said the provincial
police were investigating possible links between the two
incidents.
Poso has been the site of religious fighting since 2000, with
thousands of people killed in clashes. Muslim and Christian
leaders signed a peace deal last December but it appeared to be
ineffective with the renewed outbreaks of violence.
Zainal called the bombing in front of the Marantha Bible
School on Thursday "inhuman". The blast left two civilians and a
policeman severely wounded.
Activities at the school returned to normal on Thursday, said
its principal Rafles Loke. "May God forgive the bombers," he
said, commenting on the incident.
Since early this year, Palu has had numerous bomb threats. The
first bombs exploded at four churches on New Year's Eve, but no
casualties were reported.
Three suspects, including Yono, who was a signatory to the
peace deal, have been put on trial.
In June, another bomb blast damaged a roadside kiosk in Palu.
No suspects were arrested in the incident.