Sun, 20 Oct 2002

Team plans further forensic tests

KUTA, Bali: The joint investigating team into last week's Bali bombing will conduct further forensic tests at the bomb site early next week in an attempt to find the perpetrators, police said.

Indonesia's chief investigator handling the case, Insp. Gen. I Made Mangku Pastika, said the further forensic tests would be carried out as the previous tests had failed to yield valuable leads.

"We will conduct the forensic tests at the bomb site on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday," Mangku told the press after a meeting with foreign investigators at the Kartika Plaza Hotel here on Saturday.

The joint investigating team consists of police investigators from Australia, Britain, New Zealand, the United States, Germany, and Japan.

He admitted that there had been no significant progress in the investigation, but said the team was focusing on four persons, namely two civilians, a security guard and a retired Air Force officer.

Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner Graham Ashton of the Australian Federal Police said that he had brought in additional officers with expertise in intelligence analysis

The additional officers would be tasked with analyzing information supplied by foreign tourists in Bali as well as those coming from Bali.

Ashton, who supervises the international investigators, also disclosed that the Canberra-based Incident Coordination Center had received around 6,000 contact reports, mainly from Australian tourists arriving from Bali. -- JP

;JP;bkm; ANPAa..r.. Highlight-chemical-plant Fire guts chemical plant JP/2/HIGH

Fire guts chemical plant

CILEGON, Indonesia: A fire broke out in a chemical plant belonging to PT Santafe in Cilegon in the province of Banten, injuring at least one person and setting ablaze 10 of the plant's 13 chemical storage tanks on Saturday morning.

Warlan, 30, a crew member of a truck carrying chemicals, sustained serious injuries and was rushed to the Pertamina hospital in Jakarta, Antara reported.

The flames caused chemicals to leak over a radius of about 100 meters. The chemicals are used in the production of plastics.

Witnesses said a truck caught fire when it was being filled with chemicals and that the flames spread to the storage tanks. -- Antara