Reuters--EXPLOSIONS rocked four churches in Indonesia's Central Sulawesi province while a separate blast hit Jakarta yesterday killing one person, police said.
Central Sulawesi police spokesman Agus Sugiyanto said three large blasts occurred simultaneously outside churches in Palu, capital of volatile Central Sulawesi, just as the New Year began.
A large blast also rocked a separate church around mid-morning yesterday in Palu, wounding at least one policeman, Mr Sugiyanto said.
Police said a blast believed to be caused by a grenade went off in Jakarta before dawn, killing one person. No further details were immediately available.
'They exploded outside three churches when people were celebrating the turn of the year,' Mr Sugiyanto told Reuters by telephone from Palu, some 1,650 km north-east of Jakarta, referring to the first blasts.
The explosions shattered what had been several weeks of calm during religious festivals in Indonesia following fears of a repeat of bomb attacks on churches on Christmas Eve a year ago that killed 19 people.
Palu is capital of a province that has witnessed savage clashes between Muslims and Christians.
The four blasts in Palu destroyed church windows and gates, Mr Sugiyanto said.
No one was inside the three churches at the time but it was unclear if worshippers were around when the fourth went off.
The Palu incidents occured less than two weeks after a peace deal was struck by Christians and Muslims in an area around Poso, a town 100 km from Palu.