'Business rivalry behind bomb attack'

'Business rivalry behind bomb attack'

MANADO, North Sulawesi: North Sulawesi Provincial Police chief
Brig. Gen. Ismerda Lebang said here on Thursday that a business
rivalry was behind the bomb attack against the Philippine
consulate general office on Oct. 12.

Speaking during a local TV interactive dialog, Ismerda stated
that it was a rivalry between local residents and a group of
Filipino settlers over control of illegal gold mining activities
in Tetelu, Dimembe district, Minahasa regency, which triggered
the attack.

The blast destroyed the consulate gate, demolished a security
post and broke some windows. There were no casualties reported in
the attack launched, he said, by nine Filipino settlers, led by
ET, 33.

The other perpetrators were identified by their initials only
as YB, 31, IU, 26, FG, 29, RK, 24, RK, 21, NP, 23, 33, HN, 30 and
JT, 58, Ismerda said.

Ismerda could not explain why the settlers attacked their own
consulate. However, he once again stressed that the bomb attack
was not related to the Bali bombings that occurred on the same
day.

He said officials from the U.S. Bureau of Federal
Investigation (FBI) and the Philippines had also visited the
blast site. --Antara