Jakarta, Makassar – A bomb exploded at a Hindu temple in the conflict-scarred town of Poso, Central Sulawesi on Friday, a day after the government announced an extension of its security operation in the area for another three months.
National Police Chief Gen. Sutanto urged people not to be provoked by the bombing, which exploded at 7:45 a.m. at Natanaraga Grand Temple in Toini village, Poso Pesisir district and injured 40-year-old I Nengah Sugiarta.
"The police are still investigating to find the exact cause and other evidence," Sutanto said in Makassar Friday. He called on people to stay calm and assumed that it was designed to heighten tension in Central Sulawesi. More than 1,000 people died in sectarian violence in the area between 2000 and 2001.
The police have no leads on the latest bombing and Sutanto declined to speculate if it was related to the planned execution of Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus da Silva and Marianus Riwu, convicted for inciting sectarian violence in the area. There have been civil protests from their lawyers and supporters.
"We'll investigate the bombing so the widespread rumors will not mislead people. But the most important thing is to arrest those responsible," Sutanto said.
In Poso, detectives have questioned at least three witnesses about the bombing. "For security reasons, we will keep the (witnesses) identities secret," deputy chief of Poso Police, Comr. I Wayan Andreas told Antara on Friday.
He said the preliminary investigation on the site showed that the bomb was a "low explosive" type. "All evidence has been secured," Wayan added. "We're still investigating the motive and looking for those responsible."
The violence came just a day after the government announced an extension of its security operation in Poso, because tensions remain high. Police Brig. Gen. Paulus Purwoko, the operation commander, said despite the extension, no more new police or troops would be deployed to the region.
"Our aim is to prevent more terror attacks in the next three months," he said after attending a closed-door meeting of top government officials.
About 4,000 reinforcement police and soldiers were sent to restore order in Central Sulawesi in late 2005 after a series of shootings, beheadings and bombings in the region.
The Poso Center, a coalition of over two dozen non-governmental organizations in the area, said the bombing was evidence that the government's security operation was a failure, and the security personnel were not doing their job.
The center's secretary, Ma'fud Masuara, said Friday it had failed to detect the terror act; bombing of place of worship. "This definitely shows the operation's failure despite the fact that it is financed by billions of rupiah from the coffers," Masuara told Antara.
The attack, he said, was likely intended to worsen the situation in Poso and could lower people's trust in security police and soldiers. He urged the formation of a joint fact-finding team involving various elements in the community to solve all the terror cases in Poso.
"Such a team could be the way to solve various (terror) cases in Poso at a time when people's trust in security personnel is low," he said.
The explosion damaged a small house in front of the temple, which serves as a meeting place, but did not harm the temple proper, which is located 40 meters away. It left a crater of some 30 cm in diameter.
The injured victim, I Nengah Sugiarta, who is also Moengko Lama village secretary, is currently in intensive care at Poso Hospital.