Capital shaken by two more bomb explosions

JAKARTA (JP): After two churches in East Jakarta were hit by bomb blasts on Sunday, the capital was shaken again by two further explosions on Monday, just hours before Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri was appointed president.

A 26-year-old woman, Lita Sugiarto, suffered serious stomach injuries when a parcel bomb she received at her aunt's residence at Jl. Semarang No. 23, Menteng, Central Jakarta, exploded a few minutes after 1 p.m.

Earlier in the morning, a blast occurred in a dry drain at the side of the road when a boy threw a suspicious-looking package into it which had found at a food stall located near the Batak Protestant Church (HKBP), located in the Army residential complex in Jatiwaringin, East Jakarta, which had been bombed on Sunday

In the first case, the parcel bomb was delivered to the house in Mentang by a blue van, reportedly belonging to a courier service, the deputy chief of Menteng Police, First. Lt. Makmur Simbolon, said.

"The package was addressed to Lita. On the package was written: "From Agus S. of Surabaya, East Java," he said.

Lita's maid, Sumi, received the package and gave it to Lita, who was watching television in the living room at the time.

"She opened the package and the bomb exploded," Simbolon said.

Lita's stomach was badly injured, while the little finger of her right hand and the thumb of her left hand were both shattered. She also suffered injuries to her arms.

The police believe that the sending of the parcel bomb was a purely criminal act and that politics were not involved. They are as yet, however, still seeking a motive.

An employee of a private company, Lita was immediately rushed to the Metropolitan Medical Center hospital.

The blast occurred at the residence of Lita's aunt and her husband Sutikno. Lita's aunt, Ninik Sugiarto, is a dentist in Tarakan Hospital, located in the Bendungan Hilir area of Central Jakarta.

According to forensic expert Sr. Comr. Marsudhi Hanafi, the police found an alkaline battery complete with its wrapper and some small nails.

Marsudhi said that the bomb was a low explosive device.

Separately, East Jakarta Police chief of detectives Comr. Agus Irianto told The Jakarta Post that at about 6 a.m. on Monday, a police officer found a suspicious looking package at a foodstall belonging to Yuminiar, located on Jl. Manunggal II in the city military command's residential complex in Kalimalang.

"The officer asked Yuminiar what was in the package. She said she did not know and that someone had left it there. So, she told her nephew to get rid of it. It somehow ended up in a drain near the church. The police officer checked out the package, and found wires emerging from it," Agus said.

Police are still investigating Sunday's blasts which hit the Santa Anna Catholic church and the HKBP church in Jatiwaringin, both located in East Jakarta.

Both of them were caused by small amounts of the high explosive TNT (trinitrotoluene) and RDX, which is also referred to as cyclonite or hexogen.

RDX is a white crystalline solid usually used in mixtures with other explosives, oils, or waxes; it is rarely used alone.

It is considered the most powerful and brisant of the military's high explosives, according to forensic experts.

Over 70 people were injured by Sunday's blast at the Santa Anna Church. (ylt/04)