Three people injured as another blast rocks Medan

Three people injured as another blast rocks Medan

MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): Another bomb blast rocked the North
Sumatra capital early on Monday and injured three people, less
than 24 hours after the explosion of one of three bombs planted
at three different churches in the city.

The latest incident raises the specter of a spread in
sectarian violence to North Sumatra, with President Abdurrahman
Wahid and legislators quickly calling for calm and restraint.

Monday's blast destroyed the upmarket Marimar Restaurant on
Jl. Pemuda, injuring three pedestrians, including a woman
identified as Dewi.

All three are being treated at a nearby hospital.

An eyewitness named Ojek said he saw a car speeding back and
forth on Jl. Pemuda before the explosion.

"It was about 4 a.m. when a person in the car threw something
in front of the restaurant. Seconds later a big explosion was
heard. That's all," Ojek told The Jakarta Post.

Local residents jolted from their sleep rushed out to find out
what happened. "I thought it was a thunderbolt, but when I opened
my room window the weather was fine. I quickly linked the big
bang to the previous bomb blast in the church," Lina, a resident
of the street, said.

Police have yet to determine any link between Monday's
explosion and the blast which hit a Protestant church on Sunday,
injuring 47 members of the congregation.

The explosion, which police believe was a homemade bomb,
occurred during a service at the Indonesian Protestant Church.

Police also discovered an explosive device on Sunday at the
Batak Protestant Church (HKBP) on Jl. Sudirman. Another bomb was
found minutes later at Christ the King Church on Jl. MT Haryono.

Marimar Restaurant is located not far from Jl. Sudirman and
Jl. MT Haryono.

Local figures from all major religions issued a joint
statement deploring the incident.

"We the Honorary Council of the Indonesian Communion of
Churches (PGI), Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI), Indonesian
Buddhist Community (Walubi), Indonesian Central Council for
Dharma Hinduism (PHDI) and the Catholic Diocese call on Medan
residents not to be provoked by any attempts to disrupt unity,"
they said on Sunday.

They also demanded the government take expedient and
appropriate actions to uncover the cause of the violence.

A total of 42 youth and religious-based organizations in North
Sumatra condemned the perpetrators of the attacks.

Meanwhile in Jakarta, President Abdurrahman expressed deep
concern during a meeting with church leaders.

"The President deplored the incident," Eka Dharmaputra, one of
Protestant church leaders, said after meeting with the President
at Bina Graha presidential office.

The President is also confident the bombing will not provoke
further interfaith conflicts, said Eka.

Separately, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) chairman Hasyim Muzadi urged
the government to set up a joint investigation team, which would
involve leaders of different religions, to probe the Medan
incidents.

"By involving the religious leaders, we will be able to
convince people this incident has nothing to do with religious
hatred," Hasyim told journalists.

Meanwhile legislators in Jakarta on Monday called for
immediate preventive measures to ease the situation in Medan
anticipating an outbreak of religious strife in the province
following two days of successive bomb attacks.

Without specifying, legislators believed that the attacks were
premeditated and carried out by a well-organized network.

House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Akbar Tandjung said
that there was strong suspicion the bombings in Medan were
purposely done in order to precipitate religious and ethnic
tension and to escalate violence.

Without elaborating, Akbar noted that "certain groups" were
launching these attacks to incite further unrest.

"There are people who keep trying to create tension amongst
the people," Akbar told reporters on Monday.

"We all have to learn from the clashes in Maluku, and other
incidents, that many people want to create chaos. We have to be
aware of that and not be provoked with such incidents," Akbar
said.

"I ask religious leaders to please try and encourage peace and
tolerance among the faithful," Akbar added.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)
also expressed concern that the bomb attacks could lead to wider
unrest considering the fragile security conditions.

PDI Perjuangan deputy chairman Arifin Panigoro said the
government and the police should take concrete preventive
measures before the incident creates an open conflict between the
Christians and the Muslims like the strife we've seen in Maluku
and North Maluku.

"The nation will certainly experience a terrible setback if a
religious conflict explodes in North Sumatra," he told said on
Monday.

He said the House should immediately hold a hearing with the
National Police chief to seek an effective means of avoiding an
outbreak of religious fighting in the province.

He said it was impossible to deny that the incident in Medan
was unrelated to recent incidents in Jakarta and Maluku and that
a well-organized network had been behind it.(dja/rms/39/sur)