Tension mounts as bomb blast, scares hit Ambon

Oktovianus Pinontoan, The Jakarta Post, Ambon, Maluku

A bomb exploded near a military base in Batugantung subdistrict in the Maluku capital of Ambon on Wednesday morning, wounding at least four civilians and two Army soldiers.

Tension continued as three bomb scares occurred hours later. The bombs were said to have been planted in the Maluku gubernatorial offices, a junior high school building and a telecommunications kiosk.

The blast took place when a soldier, Pvt. Supriadi, was about to remove the bomb to an open area in front of a photocopy store on Jl. Dr. Siwabessy, 75 meters away from the site where it was found in a plastic bag complete with a timer.

It exploded before the Maluku Police bomb squad arrived, wounding Pvt. Farhan Taufik and First Sgts. Ketut Adi Saputra, Wenan Rahakbauw and Agustinus Pattiasina.

Two other persons, Franki Makuku and Christian Mustamu, suffered light injuries as the result of a traffic accident that occurred after they tried to avoid the explosion.

All the victims were rushed to Dr. Latumeten Military Hospital and Dr. Haulussy General Hospital.

The bomb was found by Salo Latupeirissa in her food stall in Batugantung market. She immediately reported the discovery to the nearby Udayana Military Command infantry base.

"I reported it to the infantry base because I was suspicious about a package left by a man in my stall," she explained.

She said that a long-haired, dark-skinned man who wore earrings had deliberately left a bag in her stall after buying some snacks and refreshments. Salo added that the man was picked up by a motorist and that the vehicle then headed for the downtown area.

The police also secured another suspicious package left by a customer in a telecommunications kiosk on Jl. Yan Paays, a half- an-hour after the blast. However, there were no details given as to what had been found.

Meanwhile, staff at the SMP 4 Junior High School in Ambon received a call from an unidentified person at 11 a.m. The caller said that a bomb had been planted in the school. The police searched for the bomb for 40 minutes but found nothing.

Many employees working in the gubernatorial offices in Tanah Lapang Kecil fled the building in panic at 11.40 a.m. after reports circulated about the planting of a bomb there.

Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Sunarko Danu Ardianto said security authorities had yet to determine the motives behind the blast and the bomb threats.

He refused to speculate whether the explosion had any link to the gubernatorial election.

When the blast occurred, the provincial legislative council was evaluating the state of emergency in the province and discussing a plan to reject a Jakarta proposal to indefinitely delay the gubernatorial election.

Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno plans to appoint a caretaker governor.

The latest series of incidents spread fear among employees and students in the city, with many heading home early. Traffic jams were seen in some districts due to police roadblocks.

Sporadic violence has returned to Ambon despite a peace agreement in February between the warring groups that marked an end to three years of sectarian conflict between Christians and Muslims.

The central government imposed a state of civil emergency in Maluku in 2000, which remains effective to date.