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.