Three suspects named in Ambon bombing
The Jakarta Post, Ambon/Jakarta
Maluku Police named on Thursday three suspects in Wednesday's bombing, which killed four people and wounded 58 others in the eastern city of Ambon, saying they have identified those behind the huge blast.
However, Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Soenarko D.A. gave no details of the masterminds behind the powerful explosion that rocked Ambon on Wednesday.
The three suspects were identified only by their initials O.P., Z, and J.
Soenarko said they were charged on the basis of testimonies given by five key witnesses.
Soenarko, Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina and Pattimura Military Commander Brig. Gen. Mustopo condemned the bombers as "inhuman and uncivilized", and extended their condolences to the families of the dead.
"They are extremely savage. They hurled a bomb into a crowd," Mustopo said, pledging to hunt down the masterminds.
In India, visiting President Megawati Soekarnoputri ordered the authorities to immediately capture the bombers and bring them to court.
"I know there are certain parties who wish to provoke instability in Indonesia," she said, adding that she was briefed about the latest development in Ambon.
"Without guaranteeing security, we will not be able to do anything, such as attracting investors," Megawati said.
The security authorities in Maluku also confiscated a red Kijang van, from which the perpetrators threw the bomb in front of Amboina Hotel and Nelayan Karaoke Bar located on Jl. Yan Paays, about 700 meters from the governor's complex.
Soenarko said the van was seized from Roda Baru restaurant, which had rented the car.
The Padang food restaurant was located at the traffic circle in the Simpang Muslim area, where the local police detective said the van drove off after the bombing.
Soenarko said the owner of the restaurant was also among those questioned by local police.
Inside the car, the police found evidence that included a blue bag, a 1.2-meter antenna and its cable, a power booster, a nine- volt battery and two 12-volt batteries.
Other pieces of evidence seized included a pedicab and a Vespa moped from the scene, which were damaged in the explosion.
In Jakarta, National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Saleh Saaf said at least 15 people have been interrogated over the incident, which has disrupted a peace pact to halt three years of fighting between Muslims and Christians in Maluku.
"Many more could be implicated in the bombing. We know who are behind this. We will get those people," he said.
National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar echoed this claim: "We have obtained the identities of the bombers".
He declined to elaborate.
"Those from both the Muslim and Christian sides, who oppose peace in Maluku were involved in the incident," Da'i said.
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla, who brokered the peace talks last February, admitted the bombing was a "setback" to the peace process, but it was not a "total failure of what we have achieved in Malino".
Malino is a hill resort in the South Sulawesi town of Gowa, which housed the peace talks, during which Muslim and Christian leaders signed a deal on Feb. 12, 2002 to end the sectarian conflict.
"They (the bombers) are people who want the killings to resume in Maluku. They were all invited to the talks, but did not show up," Kalla said.
Those opposed to the peace accord include the extremist Laskar Jihad group and a Christian separatist group. They argued that the signatories of the deal were not genuine representatives of Maluku.
Asmara Nababan, secretary-general of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), said the bombing should not be considered to have destroyed efforts to promote peace in Maluku.
"The government should not be satisfied with the Malino peace agreement. It should hold more peace talks with locals...because the deal signed in February was not final," he said.
The huge blast sparked anger among Christians and others who converged at the nearby governor's office and stoned the building, while a mob torched the rear of the complex.
Latuconsina said the fire razed three floors of the building, including his office on the second floor, causing some Rp 15 billion in losses to the province.
The governor started moving his office on Thursday to the local public works department, while other civil servants were working at the forestry and plantation office.
The provincial capital, Ambon, was calm on Thursday with traffic returning to the streets and businesses remaining open. "However, the city is not as crowded as before," a resident said.
Ambon and the rest of Maluku province has largely been peaceful since the peace pact was signed, with Muslims and Christians mingling freely on the streets.