City returns to normal despite four bomb threats<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Four bomb hoaxes disrupted the city yesterday
\nbut business activity in shopping centers and office buildings
\nwas largely back to normal.<\/p>\n
Shops in the Mangga Dua shopping malls and the Glodok
\nelectronics market in West Jakarta, and the Pasar Baru and Senen
\nin Central Jakarta, which were all closed on Tuesday, were
\ncrowded with shoppers yesterday.<\/p>\n
Ambara, an assistant at a computer store in Glodok, said \"We
\nstill have to be alert even though we are open.\"<\/p>\n
However a number of nightspots in the nearby Mangga Besar area
\nwere still closed, due to rumors of a new wave of riots.<\/p>\n
An owner of a karaoke hall said owners of entertainment sites
\nwill wait and see what happens today before deciding whether to
\nreopen.<\/p>\n
The embattled chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party,
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri, is scheduled to file a lawsuit today
\nagainst the government at the nearby Central Jakarta District
\nCourt.<\/p>\n
\"We decided yesterday that we will close our centers for at
\nleast three days while we monitor developments,\" the source, who
\nrequested anonymity, said.<\/p>\n
Traffic jams were visible again in the downtown area.<\/p>\n
At least four bomb threat calls were made. One target was a
\nprivate mailing company, CV Titipan Kilat on Jl. Raden Saleh in
\nCentral Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Some 200 employees of the firm were evacuated after two
\nreceptionists received two phone calls each, saying there was a
\nbox containing a bomb in the building.<\/p>\n
Receptionists Sulistini and Diatiningsih, who received the
\ncalls from an unidentified man at 10 a.m, reported the calls to
\ntheir employer. But Sulistini collapsed when running to make the
\nreport.<\/p>\n
Another target was the Sarinah department store on Jl. MH
\nThamrin.<\/p>\n
The Bank BNI building on Jl. Sudirman, and the Permata Plaza,
\nalso on Jl. MH Thamrin, received similar threats.<\/p>\n
The Army's bomb disposal squad found nothing suspicious
\nanywhere after searching for two hours.<\/p>\n
The bomb threat received by an operator at Sarinah, a high-
\nrise store frequented by tourists, was apparently ignored by
\nemployees and shoppers.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, at least eight bomb-threat calls were made to
\nbanks, office buildings and shopping centers.<\/p>\n
Yesterday police continued to disperse crowds of students
\neither leaving or heading for school, in case they were coaxed
\ninto joining potential riots.<\/p>\n
A few schools were still closed, including the Kanisius
\nprivate school in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
In Tangerang, security was significantly reduced. Only a few
\nmarines were on guard while on Tuesday they were placed in
\nseveral locations.<\/p>\n
The main bus terminals of Cikokol and Cimone catered to their
\nnormal crowds after hundreds of commuters had taken the day off
\nTuesday.<\/p>\n
Luxury shopping centers like Lippo Supermal in the Karawaci
\ndistrict were still quiet until late afternoon. However soldiers
\nwere no longer visible.<\/p>\n
In Bogor, south of Jakarta, things were back to normal after
\none bomb hoax was reported Tuesday at a branch of the Bank
\nCentral Asia on Jl. Juanda, one of the town's main roads.<\/p>\n
Bomb threats also spread to Ujungpandang in South Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
One call about a bomb was reported to be targeted at the
\nstate-owned PT Pelabuhan Indonesia IV port company.<\/p>\n
The call at 10:15 local time was made a few hours before an
\nofficial visit by Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto.<\/p>\n
The six-story building and the port were thoroughly checked
\nbefore the bomb squad concluded the alarm was false.<\/p>\n
Company employees and hundreds of passengers on the KM Binaiya
\nheading for Maumere in Irian Jaya, were nervous and some
\npanicked. (jun\/bsr\/anr\/28)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/city-returns-to-normal-despite-four-bomb-threats-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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