Some 20 bombs exploded on Sunday evening outside churches across Indonesia, killing at least 14 people and injuring nearly a hundred.
Most of the bombs were planted in cars parked outside churches, while others were wrapped as gifts and sent to clergymen. National Police Chief General Suroyo Bimantoro said that 18 bombs exploded in seven cities--Jakarta, Pekanbaru in Sumatra, Batam island south of Singapore, Sukabumi and Bandung in West Java, Mojokerto in East Java and Mataram in West Nusatenggara.
At least five bombs exploded in the capital, Jakarta, between 21:00 and 22:00 Sunday night. Most appeared timed for the end of services at the more prominent churches. A blast occurred outside Jakarta's Roman Catholic cathedral, situated near the presidential palace and the main mosque, as hundreds of Christians were arriving for midnight Mass, and thousands of Muslims were leaving the nearby mosque at the end of evening prayers.
Two other bombs targeted a convent and a Catholic school. Other churches were evacuated after receiving threats. A second, unexploded bomb was discovered near Jakarta's cathedral.
Outside of Jakarta, bombs targeted churches in Medan and Sumatra island. Four police officers were killed trying to disarm a bomb in Pekanbaru on Sumatra, and a civilian was killed in a separate blast. Nine unexploded bombs were found on the island. Other bombs were discovered in parcels sent to priests in Medan.
On Indonesia's main island, West Java, two people died in a blast at a Christian-owned house in Bandung. Twenty-two people were injured in three separate bombings on Batam island, while other bombs hit churches in East Java and the island of Lombok.
Police sappers defused another 15 bombs, 13 in North Sumatra and two in Jakarta.
Bombs seen as an attempt to spark civil war
The bombings are indicative of a general rise in religious tensions in Indonesia. Until recently, most of the internecine violence has centered in the Maluka islands, where fighting between Muslims and Christians has killed some 5,000 people. Scores of Christians have fled amid reports that foreign Islamist mercenaries were flocking to the islands.
Christians make up some five percent or 10.5 million out of Indonesia's 210 million people. Many are from the ethnic Chinese minority, which was often targeted by Muslim groups during past civil unrest. The Christians are concentrated mostly in the country's major cities and its eastern islands.
At Jakarta's Roman Catholic cathedral, the site of one of the Christmas eve blasts, Cardinal Julius Darmaatmadja warned his congregation not to seek revenge, saying that the bombs were intended to spark inter-religious warfare. He pointed out that the violence in the Malukas began with a trivial dispute on the Islamic holiday of Eid-al-Fitr in January 1999, and quickly spiraled out of control as the cycle of tit-for-tat took over.
Asmara Nababan, secretary general of the National Commission of Human Rights, concurred. He was quoted by AFP as saying, "What I am very worried about is that this is only the beginning." He expressed concern that any bombings targeting Muslims on Eid-al-Fitr would be seen as revenge by Christians and would lead to an uncontrollable backlash by Muslims. This was the intended goal of the bombings, he said, adding that in his view the Christian communities were "only an intermediary target." "The real target, I think, is the government."
Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid urged people not to play into the hands of the bombers by seeking revenge. He said that the blasts were the work of a well-organized group that sought to destabilize the government. "These are the actions of a party that is worried that if this government becomes stable, we will enter a new era, an era of economic awakening and an era of true democratization, " he said.
Muslim and Christian groups condemn bombings
The Christmas eve attacks were condemned by both Christian and Muslim religious organizations. Representatives of religious communities met with municipal leaders and security forces to find ways to defuse tensions.
According to AFP, an association of Muslim Mullahs in Jakarta and its surroundings issued a statement calling the bombings acts of cowardice and calling on people to stay calm. In a similar statement, the Indonesian Association for Legal Aid and Human Rights (PBHI) blamed the bombings on "elements from the old political forces."
Religious leaders across the country condemned the bombings and called on Indonesians to remain calm and not give in to provocation.
Sources: Agence France Presse, Associated Press, Reuters
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