Car Bomb at Indonesian Stock Exchange Kills 15

Raising fears of heightened political instability in Indonesia, a car bomb exploded Wednesday in the garage of the Jakarta Stock Exchange building, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more.

The midday blast triggered a chain reaction of explosions in the underground garage as scores of other vehicles caught fire, authorities said. Some of those killed had been trapped in the debris for hours before rescuers could reach them.

The explosion occurred about 45 minutes before the stock exchange was to close and filled the trading room with smoke. The garage was packed with drivers waiting with their cars to take their employers home. Ten victims died of asphyxiation, police said, and the others were killed by flying debris.

“I felt a huge turbulence,” said Laurenz, 50, a security company employee who, like many Indonesians, uses only one name. He was on the sixth floor when the blast struck. “At first, I thought it was an earthquake. Then I realized it was the sound that made me very scared.”

No one has claimed responsibility for the blast, but police believe that it was politically motivated. “The intention here is to disrupt the security of the state,” said police official Hanry Montael.

The bomb went off less than 24 hours before the corruption trial of former President Suharto was scheduled to resume. The 79-year-old ex-general ruled Indonesia with an iron hand for 32 years before he was forced to step down in 1998.

Two weeks ago--hours before Suharto’s trial was to start--a small bomb blew out the windows of a bus parked outside the temporary courtroom.

In July, a blast damaged the office of Atty. Gen. Marzuki Darusman, who is spearheading the Suharto prosecution. The explosion occurred shortly after one of Suharto’s sons was questioned in the case.

National Police Chief Gen. Rusdihardjo, who also goes by only one name, declined to speculate Wednesday on whether there was a link between any of the blasts and the Suharto case. However, he apologized for his department’s inability to solve the bombings, including an explosion Aug. 1 outside the Philippine Embassy here that killed two people and injured dozens more.

“As long as the suspects are not arrested and the motive is still unclear, we should not draw any conclusion,” the police chief said. “I deeply apologize for not being able to resolve those previous cases.”

Indonesia, with the world’s fourth-largest population, is facing one of its most difficult periods since President Abdurrahman Wahid took office last year after the nation’s first free elections in decades.

Sporadic violence has plagued Indonesia for months, and three U.N. aid workers were slain last week by a mob in the province of West Timor.

The military, which has lost much of its influence since Suharto’s ouster, has been widely suspected of fomenting the violence to undermine Wahid’s government.

There is little chance that Suharto, who has suffered three strokes, will return to office. But some military leaders who have extensive business interests in outlying provinces could benefit if Wahid, an erratic and ailing Muslim cleric, is unable to hang on to power.

The nation’s financial markets have been undercut by the political and economic instability, and foreign investors have been reluctant to sink any more money into the country. The Jakarta Composite Index is down more than 36% since the beginning of the year.

In the heart of the commercial district in Jakarta, the capital, smoke billowed from the underground garage for hours after Wednesday’s explosion. The stock exchange was shut down and more than 1,000 office workers evacuated.

The prominent, 32-story building houses the offices of numerous companies and institutions, including the World Bank. Workers in the building reported hearing one large explosion and feeling the ground shake.

Rusdihardjo, the police chief, said investigators believe that the blast originated in a red Toyota Kijang van parked on the second floor of the three-level garage. He said 400 vehicles were damaged or destroyed in the explosion and ensuing fire.

Rescuers worked into the evening to make their way through the smoke and reach victims among the charred vehicles. Most of the dead were believed to be chauffeurs. At least one security guard working in the basement was among those killed.

Police said a man who was observed fleeing the scene shortly after the explosion was later caught by guards and remained in custody, the English-language Jakarta Post reported.

National police spokesman Brig. Gen. Dadang Garnida said that five witnesses were being questioned but that none has been considered a suspect.

Suharto, who contends that he is too ill to stand trial, is not expected to attend today’s hearing. The five-judge panel is scheduled to hear doctors for both the prosecution and defense testify about the former president’s medical condition.

Suharto is accused of stealing at least $571 million in government funds from charities while he was president. He is widely believed to have diverted billions of dollars from the state treasury to family and cronies.