Christian Area Devastated by Bomb in Indonesia

A busy market in a Christian town in eastern Indonesia has been blown to pieces as two bombs exploded on Saturday. Up to 22 people were confirmed killed in the latest eruption which is expected to raise fears of an outbreak in the region.

Among the dead is one toddler, and in addition a local hospital has reported that 32 people were wounded.

The town of Tentena on the island of Sulawesi, 900 miles northeast of Jakarta, was part of an area where Muslim-Christian clashes over the past three years have killed over 2000 people until a peace treaty was settled in late 2001. Since the deal was agreed, unrest has continued to lie among the residents. However the recent attack was amongst the worst that have happened since. Tensions have grown after the bombings and hundreds are demanding that the bombers be found.

"The situation is getting tense," Andi Asikin, the mayor of Poso town not far from Tentena, told El Shinta radio station. "People are upset because their families are victims. Crowds of people who are relatives of the victims are condemning the act. They are demanding officials hunt the perpetrators."

The bomb contained high explosives and the explosion was heard up to 7 miles away. The second bomb was bigger than the first which exploded 15 minutes afterwards. Rooftops were torn off, windows blown out and food and goods were scattered everywhere.

The violence in Sulawasi in the past was focused on nearby Poso , in a conflict which drew Muslim militants from groups such as the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah, a Southeast Asian network blamed for a number of bomb attacks across the Indonesia islands.

Muslims in Indonesia’s population of 220 million people consist of 85 percent. However, the population of Christians and Muslims are equal in some eastern parts of the country.

Tentena is located 25 miles south of Poso and is famous for its churches which are surrounded by clove-covered hills.

The security has been tightened and most shops had closed after the attack. Vehicles leaving Tentena were checked by police.

The bombings have been called as an act of terrorism by religious figures. "The people behind this do not want Poso to be safe," said priest Renaldi Damanik. Police said a suspicious package was found after the bombings, but later it was found to have been a false warning.

Four US diplomatic missions in Indonesia were closed on Thursday due to the security threat.

Blasts at Bali nightclubs in October 2002 and one last September outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta have been blamed on Jemaah Islamiah. Earlier this month, gunmen killed five police in a police post in the Moluccas islands.

Brutal violence occurred between Muslims and Christians which killed over 5,000 people, in the Moluccas islands from 1999 to 2002 until a peace agreement was met.