Police special team to probe hospital blast

Police special team to probe hospital blast

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Puzzled by recent bomb shocks, Yogyakarta
Police set up a special team on Wednesday to investigate
Tuesday's hospital explosion, as well as other bombs found in
public places, chief Brig. Gen. Logan Siagian said.

"The team, led by chief of Yogyakarta Police Crime
Investigation Unit, has 30 personnel from five police precincts,"
Logan told scores of journalists at his office on Wednesday.

He said police were very serious in dealing with the issue.
"We believe that the hospital bombing is linked to three bombs
found in a city bus and by the roadside in Bantul."

Logan referred to an active handmade bomb found in a city bus
last Friday and two others found last Wednesday beside a road in
Trirenggo village in the regency of Bantul.

"We will soon be able to identify whether the bombs were of
the same type and whether they were made by the same person or
group of people," said Logan.

Accompanied by Yogyakarta Police's Chief of Crime
Investigation Unit Sr. Supt. Totok Sunyoto, Logan said that the
team had so far questioned seven witnesses, including five
hospital security guards, an on-duty physician and a visitor.

"Unfortunately, we still don't have the adequate information
needed to find out the people behind the terror," he said.

A provisional result made by the forensic team indicated that
the hospital bomb was made of chemical substances similar to
those used to make firecrackers, Logan said.

"However, the forensic team also found a length of cable, a
1.5 volt battery, and a timer at the bomb scene, which leads us
to believe that it was a sophisticated bomb, and was made by
people who have expert knowledge about explosives," Siagian said.

Police also assumed that the three active handmade bombs found
on Wednesday and Friday, were made by an organized group of
people with political motives.

"They just want to create civil unrest and develop an image
that the current government cannot adequately deal with security
problems," said Logan. "There is a possibility that this
particular group of people, who seem committed to spreading
terror, might have networks with other groups outside
Yogyakarta."

"All we have to do now is maintain our vigilance in order to
prevent people from easy provocation, especially those who are
using religion to defend their actions," he said.

In a separate interview, Sri Wahyuni Werdiningsih, Dr.
Sardjito General Hospital's Head of Public Relations Department,
told The Jakarta Post that Tuesday's explosion did not affect the
hospital's daily activities.

"Everything just ran as usual. The activities continued
normally, and nothing unusual occurred (after the explosion),"
said Werdiningsih. "The hospital suffered about Rp 3 million in
financial losses due to the explosion which, in large part, was
for repair work to a damaged lavatory. (swa)