Police expand Tentena bombing probe

Police expand Tentena bombing probe

Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post, Surakarta

Police have expanded their manhunt into more areas of Central
Sulawesi province to track down two people believed to be
responsible for the market bombing in the predominantly Christian
town of Tentena last week that killed 21 people, a senior police
officer said on Saturday.

"After blockading an island in the Togean island chain, Tojo
Una-Una regency, the police are now expanding their investigation
into Morowali regency to hunt down the two most wanted suspects,"
said Sr. Comr. Tatang Somantri, the chief of the police team
investigating the case.

Tatang said that as of Saturday, the police had named 18
suspects in connection with the bombing. Ten of the 18 are being
questioned in Poso regency, while the rest are being questioned
at Central Sulawesi Police headquarters, said Tatang.

Among the suspects are Has, the head of a penitentiary in Poso
regency, whose office is thought to have been used to assemble
the bombs used in the attack, said Tatang.

The police also are questioning witnesses in the case, said
Tatang as quoted by Antara news agency.

While 44 witnesses had been questioned as of Wednesday, by
Saturday police had completed questioning 32 more witnesses, said
Tatang. "Based on the testimony of witnesses, there is the
possibility more people will be named as suspects."

The National Police have devoted extraordinary attention to
the high-profile case, the worst bombing in terms of the number
of victims since the Bali attack three years ago that killed over
200 people, mostly foreign tourists.

There are fears the Tentena bombing could lead to a renewal of
religious violence in Poso regency, so that the National Police
have deployed generals and specialist personnel to assist in the
investigation.

The motive behind the attack is still sketchy, but some
activists and religious leaders believe the bombing was organized
in order to draw attention away from a corruption case being
investigated in the province.

The corruption case centers on the alleged misuse of funds
meant for Poso refugees in the aftermath of sectarian conflict in
the religiously divided regency in 2000. The case was brought to
light when activists from the Institute for the Development of
Legal Studies and Human Rights Advocacy alerted the media to the
alleged corruption.

According to the NGO, many refugees complained that they never
received the funds that had been promised by the government. The
case was reported to the Central Sulawesi Prosecutor's Office and
has been investigated, but the investigation was suspended
because of a lack of evidence. Responding to this impasse, the
NGO recently asked the Corruption Eradication Commission to
pursue the case.

Coordinating Minister of People's Welfare Alwi Shihab has also
promised that his office will assist in the investigation of the
corruption case.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday in Surakarta, Central Java,
Alwi said he had instructed a director general in his office to
help collect data and evidence in the case.

Back in the town of Tentena in Poso, which has been a flash
point for sectarian violence in recent years, the situation
remained tense on Saturday. Flags were still being flown at half-
mast at government and private offices.