INDONESIA: JAKARTA: BOMB BLAST IN MOSQUE CONDEMNED скачать в хорошем качестве

INDONESIA: JAKARTA: BOMB BLAST IN MOSQUE CONDEMNED

(19 Apr 1999) English/Nat Indonesia's President B.J. Habibie has condemned a bomb blast in a mosque in Jakarta as an attempt to worsen the religious conflict in the country. Three men were injured and more than 20 offices damaged by the blast which occurred in the basement of South East Asia's largest mosque. Habibie and senior police officers have called for calm. The bomb blast ripped through the basement of the Istiqlal Mosque in the centre of the Indonesian capital at 3.15 pm local time (0815 GMT). The mosque, which is less than a mile from the Presidential Palace, numbers influential worshippers - including President B.J Habibie and former President Suharto. About 600 worshippers were three floors above when the explosion occurred. Witnesses say they saw two men race off on a motorcycle. Most of the offices inside the mosque, were badly damaged. Although no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, there was consternation at this latest violence. About 90 per cent of Indonesia's population of 210 million is Muslim. The explosion followed months of escalating religious violence between Muslims and Christians across Indonesia, which has left several hundreds of people dead. Ethnic and political clashes on Indonesian Borneo and East Timor have also created an atmosphere of violence and tension. A spokesman for the mosque says the bomb explosion was the latest in this cycle of violence. SOUNDBITE: (English) Nowadays in our country, there are so many people trying to make clash between us, between Christian and Islam and between ethnics." SUPER CAPTION: Adang Syasaat, Istiqlal Mosque Spokesman The police and military have been heavily criticised for failing to keep the peace in the various trouble spots. Last May they were virtually invisible when Jakarta went through two days of rioting and looting. At the Istiqlal Mosque, a bomb squad joined police in a search for clues as to who placed the bomb there. Mosque officials say they fear there could be another attack but have called on Muslims not to retaliate. Instead, they want protection. SOUNDBITE: (English) "I want to call the security forces - the official security forces - from the state, naturally the police force, to make some guard on this mosque for a couple of days and to try to clean it up." SUPER CAPTION: Adang Syasaat, Istiqlal Mosque Spokesman President Habibie has also called for people to remain calm - well aware that further religious violence ahead of crucial parliamentary elections on June 7 would be a major problem. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...