Three suspects named in Ambon bombing
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.