Churches told to dig holes to dispose of bombs

Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Police have told churches in Surakarta, Central Java, to dig holes to dispose of bombs and other suspicious objects in anticipation of possible terrorist attacks during the Christmas holiday.

With suspected terrorist mastermind Noordin M. Top still on the loose, police have beefed up security around the country ahead of Christmas.

Nineteen people were killed in coordinated bombings of 11 churches on Christmas Eve in 2000.

Police believe the bombings were the work of Jamaah Islamiyah, a regional terrorist network linked to al-Qaeda. The group has also been blamed for a series of recent bombings in the country.

"I urge churches, especially those in villages, to dig holes where they can store any suspicious objects that might be bombs," Surakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Abdul Madjid told Reuters on Friday.

He said larger churches in the city should prepare bomb baskets or large metal drums for the disposal of explosives.

"This is to anticipate (any problems). Who knows, a strange package could be a bomb," Madjid said.

Police also plan to sweep all 61 churches in Surakarta for bombs before services on Christmas Eve.

These special security measures follow the latest information that Noordin and his followers might still be somewhere in Central Java.

Separately, National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Aryanto Boedihardjo said police would launch the year-end security operation "Candle Operation 2005" to ensure peaceful Christmas and New Year celebrations.

"We will order 31 provincial police chiefs across the country to deploy their personnel. There will be a total of 47,700 police officers guarding public and strategic locations during the holidays," Aryanto said on Friday.

He said police would focus their attention on houses of worship, government buildings, residential areas housing foreign diplomats and other public places.

"The police will also secure airports, seaports and border areas to prevent any unwanted incidents. We hope this operation will reduce the number of crimes," Aryanto said.