Police almost complete probe into cause of blast
JAKARTA (JP): The National Police has almost completed its examination on the cause of Wednesday's explosion at the Research Center for Technology of Reactor Salvation of the National Atomic Energy Agency (BATAN) in Serpong.
"Fifty percent of the work has been completed. The final conclusion is scheduled to be announced on Monday (today)," a team member of the Forensic Laboratory which conducted the examination said over the weekend.
The officer, who asked not to be identified, said the team examined a wide range of objects, such as filings and fractures of some of the materials, to determine the cause of the accident.
The BATAN research center, along with other related institutions, is located at the Science and Technology Research Center (Puspitek) complex in Serpong, an area 30 kilometers southwest of Jakarta.
The blast at the BATAN research center on Wednesday afternoon killed a staff member and injured a cleaning service worker.
A spokesman for the National Police, Capt. Suyatmo, refused to comment, saying that the forensic laboratory examination of the case is still underway, while the investigation of the accident, including the questioning of several witnesses, is concurrently being carried out by the city police personnel.
"We hope that the final result from the police forensic laboratory can be announced soon," he told reporters over the weekend.
Based on the investigation, the police have yet to deduce the cause of the blast -- a pure accident, or sabotage aimed at foiling the government's plan to establish the first nuclear power plant in order to meet the increasing demands of electricity. The nuclear power plant is to be built in Muria peninsular, Central Java.
BATAN's Director General Djali Ahimsa told reporters on Friday that the accident caused no radiation leaks.
BATAN is a state-owned agency which administers the nuclear laboratory along with its 30 megawatt research reactor, provided by Siemens AG of Germany.
The explosion took place at around 1:30 p.m. during the lunch- break hours. The single deceased, identified as Waluyo, 39, was believed to have been taking a nap when the blast happened, while the cleaning service employee, Supriyanto, 26, was painting a wall.
Waluyo suffered a serious wound to the head and died on the way to the hospital.
The Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi), a non-governmental organization, demanded that the government thoroughly inspect the extent of the damage and determine whether the blast caused radiation leaks.
Emmy Hafidz, a spokesperson for Walhi, told The Jakarta Post that the government should announce the results of the investigation on the cause of the explosion because the public has the right to know. (bsr)