Indonesia-Third Bomb in the City in Three Days, One Killed and Thirteen Injured

A bomb killed one person and injured thirteen in the Christian sector of Ambon, Indonesia on May 25. Later on, police defused another device planted near a church. The blast at Batumeja market sparked panic among residents and shoppers.

At Bakti Rahayu hospital nine injured people were being treated, of whom three were in serious conditions. Another hospital, the Maluku Protestant Church Hospital, said five people were admitted and one of them later died.

It has been the third bomb in the city in three days. Last Sunday, the first bomb was found which was hidden in a biscuit tin along with two bottles of beer and peanuts. It wounded five people, and one of the five wounded was in a serious condition. It happened the day after Indonesia's president visited the eastern city and denied allegations of government inaction amid a resurgence in Christian-Muslim fighting.

"Maybe the perpetrators were trying to attack Christian youths who live in the area. But there appears to be no connection between the attack and the presidential visit." city police chief Leonidas Braksan said.

The blast occurred near a navy base, when unidentified attackers threw a second homemade bomb nearby about 30 minutes later, but no one was injured.

Last Saturday, President Megawati Sukarnoputri met religious leaders during her visit to Ambon and denied claims her government isn't doing enough to stop a recent outbreak of fighting between Muslim and Christian militias that has left 39 dead in past weeks.

The city in the eastern Maluku islands is still recovering from an outbreak of Muslim-Christian violence which began on April 25. Some 38 people were killed and hundreds of homes and other buildings were torched.

"It is regrettable that there are still people who want to provoke trouble. But thank God, people can no longer be easily provoked," Bachtiar said on Monday, adding that police would search for weapons in the city.