Sunday Bloody Sunday

Sunday Bloody Sunday

JAKARTA (JP): At least 15 people were killed and dozens others
injured when bombs exploded almost simultaneously in or outside
churches in various towns on Sunday night, as Indonesia's
minority Christian community was preparing to celebrate
Christmas.

The casualties include;

* Two churchgoers and a cigarette seller in Jakarta

* In Sukabumi (West Java), a woman, a 10-year old boy and a
two-month old baby were killed when a bomb exploded in their car
after they attended a Christmas service at a church;

* In Pekanbaru (Riau), three church officers were killed as
were two police officers who were called in to guard the church;

* In Mojokerto (East Java), a member of the Banser Islamic
group was killed when he tried to take away a parcel containing a
bomb away from a church.

* In Bandung (West Java), two workers of a welding shop were
killed when a bomb exploded in their workshop. A third man, whose
identity was not known, died in a hospital later on.

Several police officers who were sent to inspect report that
large explosives had been found on the site were injured when the
explosives blasted.

There were three separate bomb blasts in the industrial island
of Batam, south of Singapore. There were no fatalities, but as
many as 22 people were injured. Thirteen of whom had to be
hospitalized.

Sunday's death toll would have been far higher had the police
not intercepted parcels containing explosives which had been sent
to churches in Medan, North Sumatra.

Church officials in Medan appeared to be far more alert than
their counterparts elsewhere in the country, having had their
shares of unexplained bombs in the past few months.

They quickly alerted the police upon receipt or sighting of
suspiciously looking parcels. Police came and successfully tamed
the explosives.

In the West Nusa Tenggara capital of Mataram bombs also
exploded at the GPPS Bethlehem church and Emmanuel Protestant
church. No fatalities were reported.

Religious leaders and officials met soon after the blast, and
agreed that the explosions had nothing to do with interreligion
conflicts.

Governor Harun Al Rasyid said that the bombings were
politically motivated.

No one has so far claimed responsibility for what appeared to
be a concerted attack against Christians on Sunday as they
celebrated Christmas.

The Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah communication forum, the
organization which sent the Lasykar Jihad (the Muslim Warrior
Force) to fight Christians in Maluku, quickly distanced itself
from the Christmas Eve bombings.

"The Jihad Warrior strongly condemns the bombings," the group
said in a statement.

"The bombings were obviously backgrounded by political nuance.
Lasykar Jihad in this regard has no involvement in national
political maneuvers," it said.

Muslims and Christian leaders have condemned the bombing as an
act to set them against each other as have happened in Maluku in
the last two years.

Indonesia's Muslim majority will be celebrating Idul Fitri,
the end of the Ramadhan fasting month, on Wednesday.

In Jakarta, bombs exploded outside the Katedral and Canisius
church, both in Central Jakarta, and Santo Yosef church in
Jatinegara district in East Jakarta.

They all occurred within the space of one hour on Sunday night
just as the churches were holding Christmas services.

Police later managed to defuse another bomb found outside the
Anglican church near the Canisius church.

Services had to be canceled as police combed the area. But in
the Katedral, Christmas services resumed after the blast and
after the police gave the clearance.

Two victims were identified as 50-year old Roni Hariadi and
27-year old Hendra Putra, both Jakarta residents who were in the
Santo Yosef church when the bomb, believed to have been placed
inside a van parked near a bus shelter outside the church,
exploded.

The third victim was Abdul Karim, no known age, a resident of
Bekasi who was running a cigarette kiosk near the bus shelter.

Dozens others, churchgoers as well as passers-by, were being
treated at the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital and the
private St. Carolus hospital. Some were later discharged but 22
remained for further treatment on Sunday night.

One of the injured was pop singer Melky Goeslaw, who was being
treated at the Mitra Abadi hospital for burn on his hand, face
and leg, according to Antara.

Melky was driving past the Canisius church with his wife Linda
on his way to a different church when he was caught by an
explosion.

His daughter, Melly Goeslaw, who has taken up after her father
in singing her way to popularity, was waiting at the hospital.

In the West Java town of Sukabumi, the three victims were
identified as Banjar Nahor (30 years), Aprianto (10 years) and
Bella (two months), according to Antara.

They were all inside a car when a parcel, which Aprianto had
found near their car after a service at Gereja Sidang Kristus
church and which he had placed it in the dashboard, exploded.

Three other passengers in the car were injured.

Shortly after, another bomb exploded in the Gereja Sidang
Kristus church on Jl. Alun-Alun Utara.

The blast also injured six people in the vicinity.

In Pekanbaru, two police officers were killed in a bomb blast
that occurred at the HKBP church.

The four were killed when they were inspecting a parcel found
inside the church building after the congregation had left,
Antara reported.

The victims were identified as First Sgt. Rudi Saragih, Second
Pvt. Panangian, Second Pvt. Jabaruddin and Kamaludin, also Second
Private.

Eight other people, including church officials, were injured.

Pekanbaru City Police chief Sr. Insp. Armawan S. said that the
four were killed after a "package" they were examining exploded.
The package was left in the church as the service was over.

Another explosion also took place in Sidomulyo, where
teenagers were gathering celebrating Christmas. One was killed in
the blast and five others were injured. The deceased was
identified as Simanungkalit, Antara reported.

In Mojokerto, the death man was identified as Riyanto, a
member of the local Banser, a youth wing of the Nahdlatul Ulama
organization, who was among Banser volunteers to guard the Santo
Yosef church on Jl. Pemuda.

He was seriously injured when a bomb exploded near the church
Sunday night.

He was rushed to the hospital but died a few hours later. His
death was confirmed by East Java Police Chief Insp. Gen. Sutanto.

Members of Banser and the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) Task Force voluntarily guarded all
churches in Mojokerto during the Christmas Eve.

The explosion in Bandung could provide a clue about the
organization and the motive, something that had baffled the
police.

The welder shop was believed to have been used to store and
assemble bombs. Police also said they found leaflets about the
terror campaign.

Two other workers of the shop who were injured in the blast
could give the police the lead they needed to solve the mystery.
The owner of the shop, Aceng Suhari, was still at large.

Unfortunately for the police, some of the ammunitions exploded
while some officers were going inspecting the site. Two officers
-- First Sgt. Zainuddin and Second Pvt. Yoyong -- were injured.

Two of six civilians injured in the blast, Agus (22) and Roni
(20), who are now treated at the Sartika Asih Police Hospital on
Jl. Martadinata, are named suspects for the bombings. Police said
they believed the two "knew much" about the bloody blasts. (team)