Grenade finds a campaign to create terror: Police chief

JAKARTA (JP): City Police Chief Insp. Gen. Mulyono Sulaiman said on Friday that the discovery of grenades and suspicious- looking objects over the past few days indicated an obvious attempt to cause chaos.

"Those who are terrorizing this city want the general public to handle the bombs or grenades themselves. They mean to create chaos. I am very grateful to city residents who, instead of taking matters into their own hands, called the police," Mulyono told reporters at city police headquarters.

His statement came after five boys discovered a tear-gas grenade on Ciliwung riverbank right behind the Maria Ratu Perdamaian Church in Kenari subdistrict, Central Jakarta on Thursday. This was less than 48 hours after a live grenade was found in a warehouse at St. Carolus Hospital, also in Central Jakarta.

Mulyono urged city residents to stay calm upon finding grenades, bombs or other suspicious-looking objects.

"The National Police bomb squad has trained officers at the city police and police subprecincts on how to handle bombs. Just call the nearest police station, police precinct, subprecinct or city police, if any suspicious-looking objects are found," he said.

A wave of terror using bombs and other explosives, including grenades, rocked the capital last year. Bombs last exploded in or around the compound of churches in the capital on Christmas Eve, claiming four lives.

Many connect the terror with the current political tension, which stems from a protracted bickering between the House of Representatives and President Abdurrahman Wahid.

Police have dealt with grenade discoveries or explosions six times over the past seven months, dating back to late August when a grenade exploded in the compound of the Malaysian Embassy here. The most dramatic finding took place in early January when a 15- year-old student discovered three live grenades on a railway track in Cikampek as a train was about to pass.

On Thursday, a tear-gas grenade was found while five boys were searching for worms to use as fish bait.

The Kenari area's neighborhood chief, Kusman. S, told reporters at the Central Jakarta Police Precinct that the grenade was discovered when one of the children, Irfan, touched a plastic tube with a can inside.

"He was about to remove the grenade's pin when one of his friends, Bernard, prevented him after seeing the word 'grenade' on it. They then informed Bernard's father, Fido, of the discovery," Kusman said.

The grenade in St. Carolus Hospital was spotted inside a warehouse called the Semar Ward, where oxygen tanks are stored. The hospital management said they had received a threat beforehand. (01/ylt)