Poso blast mars Xmas cheer
Poso blast mars Xmas cheer
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A low explosive bomb went off on Tuesday in the Central Sulawesi
town of Poso as the nation readied for Christmas.
No fatalities were reported in the incident, but it sent
strong message to police that they had to tighten security
nationwide in order to prevent any similar violent acts on
Christmas Day.
The bomb exploded in a field on Tuesday morning in front of
the office of the Lembomawo subdistrict head in Poso. No one was
hurt, but shrapnel shattered the windows of the office.
The bomb was spotted on a public transportation vehicle plying
the Poso-Lembomawo route by a passenger named Mince Muda. Mince,
the last passenger to get off the Daihatsu minibus in Lembomawo,
saw a suspicious plastic package beneath a passenger seat.
She asked Roy, the minibus driver, to take a look at the
package. He did so, and was shocked to find that it was a bomb.
He put the package in a field in front of the office of the
Lembomawo subdistrict head and immediately ran to the nearest
Indonesian Military (TNI) outpost for assistance.
The bomb detonated before the TNI arrived, causing anxiety
among residents of the surrounding area.
Poso Police chief Adj. Comr. Abdi Dharma confirmed that the
device was a low explosive bomb.
"The bomb was aimed at provoking a riot in Poso," he told The
Jakarta Post in Palu.
Alex, 30, a Christian activist with a crisis center here, said
the Christian community was unaffected by the incident and
remained calm. Undeterred, they were busily preparing for
Christmas Day, arranging various activities such as a singing
competition.
Across the archipelago, the incident had little effect on the
people as they merrily prepared for Christmas.
In the East Nusa Tenggara capital of Kupang, which is
predominantly Catholic, hundreds of Catholics and Protestants
rehearsed Christmas performances on Tuesday in several big
churches, including Masehi Injili and Pniel Oebobo churches. Mass
will be held on Wednesday, Christmas Eve.
Most public transportation drivers played Christmas carols as
they shuttled people about town.
A similar sense of joy also prevailed in the Papua capital of
Jayapura. Jayapura residents have begun decorating churches,
their homes and schools with Christmas decorations.
Papuans were seen on Tuesday painting their houses, while
others put up their Christmas trees and strung lamps.
"This is the way the Christians celebrate Christmas. The
brighter light symbolizes a brighter heart to celebrate the birth
of Jesus Christ," said Rev. Mano.
Shops and malls were packed by people tending to last-minute
Christmas shopping.
As the people prepared to make merry, the National Police
prepared to beef up security over Christmas.
In the West Java capital of Bandung, West Java Police chief
Insp. Gen. Dadang Garnida said local police would deploy 15,000
personnel to safeguard Christmas.
"As for a 'bloody Christmas', I hope this will not happen. The
issue emerged during the National Police chief's visit to
Singapore, when the deputy prime minister of Singapore brought it
up," he said. He stressed that the issue was groundless.
Bombing attacks are a real threat, as at least 16 people were
killed on Christmas Eve 2000 in coordinated bomb attacks on
churches in several parts of the country.
Central Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Didi Widayadi said the
local force would thoroughly check any person who wished to enter
churches in order to prevent the possibility of a similar attack.
In Yogyakarta, police said they would sterilize churches and
beef up security against bombings. "Some 5,000 personnel, or two-
thirds of our force, will be deployed to safeguard Christmas
Day," said Yogyakarta Police chief Brig. Gen. Sudirman.
All in all, the National Police has vowed to deploy 248,662
personnel nationwide to ensure peace and security over Christmas,
said National Police deputy chief of public relations Brig. Gen.
Soenarko.