Speculation continues of motive behind bomb blast

Speculation continues of motive behind bomb blast

JAKARTA (JP): Speculation continued on Wednesday on the motive
behind the bomb explosion in front of the Philippine ambassador's
house, with theories ranging from international terrorism, a
personal vendetta to local groups bent on creating chaos.

Philippine President Joseph Estrada, who was in Washington
when the blast occurred, said he had a very strong suspicion
terrorists were behind Tuesday's attack.

"The ugly head of terrorist forces has taken the lives and
injured hardworking diplomatic representatives of the
Philippines," Estrada said on Wednesday in a statement made in
the United States.

Estrada said he was awaiting reports on the blast from Jakarta
and the Philippine intelligence services.

"I have a very strong suspicion as to who is behind this, but
I will reserve final judgment until the above reports are
received," he said in the statement released by the presidential
palace in Manila.

President Abdurrahman Wahid said on Tuesday after the blast he
suspected the attack was linked to a separatist rebellion in the
Philippines' south.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the larger of two
groups fighting for an independent Moslem homeland in the
southern Philippines, has denied any involvement.

The other rebel group, the fundamentalist Abu Sayyaf militia,
is holding dozens of foreign and Filipino hostages on Jolo
island, near Mindanao.

One of the most startling admissions on Wednesday was made by
injured Philippine Ambassador Leonides T. Caday who allegedly
told Philippine Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that he
believed he knew the assailant.

"He told me who the suspect is but I don't want to say who...
until we have corroborating evidence," Arroyo was quoted by
Reuters as saying in Manila.

"Caday's belief is that this was personal against him," Arroyo
said, adding that it was carried out by a Filipino who had come
to Jakarta.

Meanwhile People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais
dismissed suggestions foreign parties were behind the attack.

"It's too much to say that international parties were involved
in the bombing," Amien said. He believed those behind the bombing
were still in Jakarta and the surrounding areas.

Earlier in the day, Attorney General Marzuki Darusman
condemned the bomb attack as "a pure act of terrorism". He also
said the government currently had no leads on who was behind the
incident.

He said, however, that "there are some opinions that this (the
blast) is somehow linked to matters outside of Indonesia".

When asked whether he was ruling out the possibility that
former president Soeharto's followers were behind the attack,
Marzuki said: "We are not easily led to that and we are trying
not to speculate on this matter."

"We are not saying anything definite, we are just saying that
we can't link it directly with whatever is happening here at the
moment, so we have to look at it from both perspectives: the
internal and the regional." Marzuki said.

The U.S. Embassy in a statement expressed its deepest sympathy
to the Philippines ambassador and to the families of those killed
and injured.

The statement also said that U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia
Robert Gelbard, in a letter to Abdurrahman, had "affirmed the
U.S. government's willingness to cooperate with the Indonesian
government's investigation of this incident and overall effort to
combat terrorism."

In Yogyakarta, political observer Cornelis Lay from Gadjah
Mada University said the blast was a further blow to the
government following the series of violent conflicts in the
outlying provinces.

Nana Sutikna, a political observer at Soedirman University in
Purwokerto, Central Java, believed the blast was linked to a
Filipino political disagreement.

He refused to connect the incident with domestic political
troubles. "If the terrorists wanted to ruin Indonesia's image in
the eyes of the world, why didn't they plant the bomb at the UN
office or the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta?"

Meanwhile, a sociologist at Hasanuddin University in Makassar,
South Sulawesi, said the bombing could harm Indonesia's image
internationally.

"Violence is not in our culture. Therefore it is very naive if
Indonesians now tolerate such ferocity," he said.

"Let's contemplate and introspect. We, the Indonesian people,
have entered a phase where terrorism has become a trend. We must
be honest to ourselves and admit we are familiar with such
actions. This is very dangerous to the progress of democracy,"
Darwis said.(45/27/sur/44/byg/jun)