Tentena blasts kills 22
Tentena blasts kills 22
Ruslan Sangadji and Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Palu/Makassar
Fears over renewed sectarian clashes are abound after two bombs
ripped through a crowded market in Tentena town, Poso regency, on
Saturday, killing at least 22 people and wounding some 30 others.
National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar visited the bombing
site only hours after the morning explosion in order to boost
confidence among the people that the security forces were on top
of the situation.
The visit was also aimed at cooling down the situation in the
predominantly Christian area, some 60 kilometers south of Poso
town, which has been the flash point of sectarian violence in
recent years.
In Makassar, South Sulawesi, Vice President Jusuf Kalla
strongly condemned the bombing and vowed that he would visit
Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi, to organize measures that
could help maintain peace in the conflict torn area.
Witnesses said that the first explosion took place at 8 a.m in
Tentena market, which was packed with people doing weekend
shopping. The second blast occurred 15 minutes later outside a
branch of Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI).
Andi Asikin Suyuti, the acting regent of Poso, said that a
third explosive device had been found and defused by a police
bomb squad outside a Christian church in town.
Among the fatalities in the explosion were Reverend Deny
Dalelia, a two-and-a-half-year-old infant named Andreas Pompangi
and local community leader Suryati Munango. All the injured
victims were brought to Tentena Hospital for treatment. "There is
fear that more people will die as some have very serious
injuries," said Tentena resident Obet Rombot.
The hospital staff were struggling to keep the injured people
alive as supplies of medicine and trained staff were limited.
"Around 20 people were badly wounded and they are quite weak.
Many of the patients' internal organs have been damaged," Sofia
Latuperisa, a dentist helping the injured, told AFP.
The morning explosion in Tentena was the second largest bomb
attack to take place in the country in terms of number of
fatalities after the Bali bombing three years ago that claimed
the lives of over 200 people, mostly foreign tourists.
The most recent major bombing in the riot torn regency of Poso
was in November 2004, a day before Muslims celebrated Idul Fitri.
The bomb that hit a public transportation minibus in a
predominantly Muslim area in Poso town claimed the lives of six
people.
Commenting on the Tentena bombing, a Christian leader said
that the bombing had nothing to do with religion. Muslims and
Christians in the area have been enjoying warm relations in
recent years after sectarian conflict in 2000 that killed some
2,000 Muslims and Christians, said secretary-general of the
Central Sulawesi Christian Church Synod Irianto Kongkoli.
"I suspect that the explosion had something to do with
competition among candidates in the upcoming direct elections in
the regency in June," he said.
The situation in Tentena was tense after the explosion.
Streets were deserted as people were worried that more explosions
would take place in town. A security clampdown was imposed in
town with security personnel holding random checks on passersby.
The motive behind the bombing is still unclear, said police
spokesman Insp. Gen. Aryanto Budihardjo.
The police are currently examining the explosive device that
could lead to the perpetrators behind the case, he said. The two-
star police general said that no foreigners were hurt in the
bombing.