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| Southeast Asia |
| Police blamed for Indonesia blast |
| 2005-05-30 |
| FUNERALS were held yesterday for some of the 20 victims of a bomb attack in a Christian town on Indonesia's Sulawesi island that police have blamed on Islamic militants, but others have blamed on police. Tearful mourners gathered under grey skies and pouring rain in the lakeside market town of Tentana to say final prayers for the dead, who included a Christian cleric and a two-year-old infant. But as community leaders struggled to contain tensions between Christians and Muslims on Sulawesi that have previously erupted into open conflict, an independent probe accused Indonesia's powerful security forces of involvement. Police say the bombing bore hallmarks of Azahari Husin, a fugitive Malaysian wanted for involvement in the Bali bombings that killed 202 people. An independent report by prominent Christians and Muslims on Sulawesi, however, pointed the finger at Indonesia's security forces who, they say, will use it as an excuse to strengthen their grip in the area. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |