Jake Lloyd-Smith – The Defence Minister has accused supporters of former president Suharto over the wave of church bombings that hit the country on Christmas Eve killing 16 people.

Mahfud Mahmoddin said the sponsors of the terrorist attacks were well-funded and had launched the blasts in a bid to derail the reform movement. In remarks carried in local newspapers yesterday, Mr Mahfud also said he had been detailed by President Abdurrahman Wahid to overhaul the country's security apparatus.

"Judging by the modus operandi and the well co-ordinated way the attacks were conducted, I believe that there are powerful people from the New Order behind the bombings," Mr Mahfud was quoted as saying.

Suharto's New Order government ran Indonesia for more than 30 years until he stepped down in 1998 amid a tide of protests. The bombings hit cities in Java, Sumatra, Lombok and Batam over five hours, killing 16 and injuring more than 120.