After bomb scares, no terrorists on Bali: Police

The Bali Police confirm that no terrorist has entered Bali despite a series of bomb threats in Badung, Denpasar and Gianyar regencies.

Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Hadiatmoko told reporters on Wednesday that reports of bomb threats were inaccurate and misleading. “All bomb threats have been hoaxes,” he said.

Hadiatmoko was responding to the latest suspected bomb found in a Toyota Avanza car parked on Jl. Diponegoro in downtown Denpasar on Tuesday night.

“The package, delivered to Edy Yunianto, contained no more than paper garbage,” Hadiatmoko said. “There is no indication that there are terrorists on the island. I can guarantee that Bali is safe.”

Recent circulating text messages asked people to be alert to potential terrorists who were entering the island armed with explosives.

Last Tuesday, the Bali Police’s Gegana bomb squad examined another package sent to Yunianto. It contained only electrical cables and tools. “It did not contain explosives,” Hadiatmoko confirmed.

Several minutes earlier, a worker at a garage on Jl. Tukad Yeh Aya near the Bali governor’s office and government civic center in Renon area found another suspicious package. The worker, Made Joni, reported it to the nearest police office.

Bali has been receiving bomb threats over the past week. Suspicious packages have been found at places including the Trijata Police Hospital in Denpasar, a budget hotel in Gianyar regency and in front of Kerobokan Penitentiary.

In Buleleng regency in North Bali a number of employees at Singaraja Library said they were unnerved upon receiving a suspicious book package.

It was sent to the Singaraja Library head on Tuesday afternoon. Comr. Ida Bagus Wedanajati from Buleleng Police examined the parcel, which contained four books on the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings. One was titled When Conscience Speaks Out.

“The library staff were reminded of last week’s book-bomb incidents in Jakarta,” Ida said.

Ngurah Wijaya, chairman of the Bali Tourism Board, said he expected bomb threats would soon end especially because they would impact the island’s tourist and business activities if they continued.

“The tourism industry is always affected by security issues,” said Wijaya.