The Jakarta Post
A blast that occurred within the National Monument (Monas) area in Central Jakarta, right across from the Home Ministry building and just a few meters away from the Merdeka Palace on Tuesday morning has raised questions about national security. The police have confirmed that the blast, which occurred at 7:05 a.m. in a public area commonly used for, among other things, recreation, exercise and public gatherings, was caused by a smoke grenade. Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel Sgt. Maj. Fajar and Chief Pvt. Gunawan, who were doing their regular morning exercise with other TNI personnel in the area, were injured and rushed to Gatot Subroto Military Hospital. Security analyst Stanislaus Riyanta said he called on the police and the military to speed up the investigation. He called on them to answer two important questions surrounding the incident: How did the grenade reach that loc...