Mega declares RI on full alert

Tue, 14 Sep 2004, 00:00 WIB | Source: JP

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Police claimed on Monday to have come a step closer to locating
the perpetrators of Thursday's bombing outside the Australian
Embassy here, while President Megawati Soekarnoputri declared the
country fully alert to further acts of violence.

After chairing a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Megawati said she
had ordered the police and military to increase their vigilance
in the coming weeks, which will also see the nation holding its
presidential election runoff on Sept. 20.

"I have instructed all security forces to remain in a state of
readiness across the country, especially around the capital ahead
of the runoff," Megawati, who is the military's supreme
commander, said.

Monday was a national holiday.

Despite the recent bombing, she hoped the coming election
would run as peacefully as previous polls.

"I wish to see the increased surveillance of all vital and
strategic installations, embassies, as well as public places,
across the country," the President said.

National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said he had put
200,000 officers on guard across the country. Over 200,000
military troops will serve as a backup for the police.

Megawati also called on the people to work closely with
security authorities by maintaining their vigilance of suspicious
people around their neighborhoods.

Earlier in the day, National Police detective chief Comr. Gen.
Suyitno Landung Sudjono said investigators were now trying to
locate the last owner of the box van used in the Sept. 9 suicide
bomb attack, in which 9 people were killed and over 185 others
injured. Police were also matching the DNA of body parts found at
the blast site with that of family members of terror suspects.

"Based on our questioning of the previous owner of the car, we
are now tracing people who are suspected of plotting the suicide
bombing. We hope we can locate them soon," said Suyitno, who
leads the probe into last week's bombing.

Police had questioned a man identified as ES -- who claimed to
have sold the Daihatsu van to a man in March -- as a witness. It
is hoped that ES will lead the police to the people responsible
for the blast.

Suyitno said the investigation revealed that the car was made
in 1990 and police had identified its chassis number.

"If the police could capture the last owner of the car then we
could also get the other members of the terror group," he said.

Police forensics laboratory chief Brig. Gen. Dudon Satyaputra
said the police would complete matching the DNA of body parts
found at the blast site with the family members of terrorist
suspects within a week.

Suyitno said the police believed the body parts, now located
at the police hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, belonged to
the two people who allegedly committed the suicide bombing.

"According to the suspects we have detained, the body parts
belonged to two of the three most recent Jamaah Islamiyah
recruits. We have identified their family members so we can
verify our findings," Suyitno added.

The police arrested in Sukoharjo, Surakarta, Central Jakarta,
in April, five of eight people suspected of planning and
preparing the Bali bombings in 2002 and the JW Marriott Hotel
attack in Jakarta in 2003.

A high-ranking police officer, however, told The Jakarta Post
that at least 10 new suicide bombers -- recruited by two
Malaysian fugitive bomb experts Azahari bin Husin and Noordin
Moh. Top -- remained at large.

Both Azahari and Noordin are believed to have masterminded the
Bali and Marriott bombings, in which a total of 214 people were
killed.

The authorities have warned that the Malaysians are armed with
explosives and planning fresh attacks ahead of the 20 Sept.
runoff.

Suyitno said police had also found that a rented house on Jl.
Raya Enam, RT 004/RW 09, in West Cengkareng, West Jakarta was the
place where the two Malaysian bomb experts assembled the
explosives.

"We found traces of TNT and sulfur in the rented house. The
materials are similar to substances used in the (Thursday's)
blast," he said.

Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is a flammable toxic compound used as a
high explosive made by a reaction of toluene and nitric acid in
the presence of sulfuric acid. Explosives used in the Bali
bombings contained 1.5 kilogram of TNT, as well as RDX
(Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine).

Australian Federal Police have said the bomb that exploded
last week contained 200 kilograms of potassium chlorate, a
material to make TNT. However, the National Police would not
confirm that statement.