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Indonesia

Religious leaders condemn bomb attacks

Updated: July 17, 2009 11:53 AM GMT
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Christian and Muslim leaders have condemned two bomb blasts in Jakarta that killed nine people and injured more than 50 others as "uncivilized acts" and urged the police to immediately apprehend the culprits.

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Police guarding the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Jakarta after a bomb ripped through the building

Father Johannes Dwi Harsanto, executive secretary of the Indonesian bishops´ Commission for Youth, said he was deeply distressed over the tragedy. "We pray for the dead and those who are injured. Let us also pray for our nation. May God move the heart of this nation to uphold and maintain peace," he said. Father Harsanto expressed hope that all religious leaders will call on their respective followers to maintain national unity. He also hoped that the police would investigate the tragedy thoroughly. The official of the Bishops´ Conference of Indonesia told UCA News that about two bombs exploded this morning at 7:45 a.m. at the J.W. Marriott Hotel´s restaurant and at 7:47 a.m. on the second floor of the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Alex Asmasubrata, an eyewitness told UCA News that he was jogging pass the street where the hotels are located when he suddenly heard the blast. "It was the Marriott hotel. So I ran back to the Marriott, but two minutes later another blast happened at the Ritz-Carlton," he said. He added that at the Marriott he saw six people, all foreigners, with serious burns, broken legs and arms. According to police, at least 18 foreigners were among the dead and wounded. Amidhan, head of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), told UCA News, "I am deeply concerned and strongly condemn the uncivilized act which was done irrespective of motives." He said the "MUI does not tolerate such violence against innocent people." Reverend Richard Daulay, general secretary of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI), a Protestant grouping, told UCA News, "We strongly condemn the bomb attacks. It is an immoral and uncivilized act." He added, "On behalf of the PGI we pray for the victims." Both Amidhan and Reverend Daulay said they strongly urge security officers to investigate and arrest the culprits. The Marriott hotel in Jakarta has been bombed before, with 12 people killed in a 2003 car-bomb attack. Indonesia, the world´s most populous Muslim nation, has a history of bloody terrorist attacks, including the Bali bombings of 2002 which claimed 202 lives including the lives of more than 100 foreign visitors. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks but suspicion has immediately fallen on the Al Qaeda-linked Southeast Asian terror network Jemaah Islamiyah. It had been more than three years since a major terrorist attack has occurred in Indonesia. Meanwhile, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the attack was carried out by a "terrorist group" and vowed to arrest the perpetrators. He said it was too early to say if the Jemaah Islamiyah, blamed for past attacks in Indonesia, including a 2003 bombing at the Marriott, was responsible. "Those who carried out this attack and those who planned it will be arrested and tried according to the law," he told a news conference. The attacks came just two weeks after a presidential election, in which Yudhoyono is expected to be re-elected. He has been credited with stabilizing a nation previously wracked by militancy.
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