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Bombs
found in Ambon mosque
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The
Jakarta Post March
14, 2003
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Bombs found in Ambon mosque
Muhammad Azis Tunny, The
Jakarta Post, Ambon
Police have defused two homemade
bombs found on Thursday outside the Al Fatah grand mosque in the
city of Ambon, renewing fears of heightened tension that could
threaten the fragile peace in the province, which has been torn by
years of sectarian clashes.
Maluku Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr.
Noviantoro said the police bomb squad had defused the bombs, which
were found by the mosque's janitorial staff at about 11:00 a.m.
He said the bombs had been placed
inside two pipes, each about 10 centimeters long with a diameter
of 5 centimeters. Police are still in the dark about the motive.
"Some people are just not
happy with the improving security in Maluku after years of
conflict," Noviantoro said.
The discovery came amid fresh fear
of rising tension in the provincial capital of Ambon, where
Muslims and Christians have fought each other for some three
years.
About half the population in Maluku
are Christians. Since 1999, the fighting has claimed thousands of
lives with an equal number of victims on both sides.
The warring sides agreed to end
fighting in a Jakarta-brokered peace accord, signed early last
year.
So far the accord has withstood the
sporadic violence that continues to erupt in Ambon and elsewhere
in the province.
Last January, the blast from a
homemade bomb led to a riot that injured three people and damaged
several vehicles.
The head of Ambon's Religious
Affairs Office, Hasyim Marasabessy, said that mosques and churches
were prone to attacks, as they could easily spark anger in people.
Police have so far been unable to
identify or catch any of the bombers, allowing the attacks to
continue to provoke the masses.
"I am calling on the public to
remain calm and not to let themselves be provoked by the finding
of these bombs, so that we can maintain a conducive situation in
Ambon," said police chief Noviantoro.
Despite the simmering threat of
violence, security has improved since the signing of the peace
accord.
The government had imposed a state
of civil emergency in Ambon but plans to revoke it, pending the
election of a new governor to the province. No date has been set
for the election.
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