Flights full as people return home<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Flights to Indonesia from Malaysia
\nand Singapore, the two main destinations for those fleeing abroad
\nwhen unrest hit the country, were packed over the weekend as many
\nIndonesians began returning home.<\/p>\n
A Malaysia Airlines' ticketing official said here yesterday
\nthat no seats from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta were available until
\nTuesday (tomorrow).<\/p>\n
Flights from Malaysia's northern Penang island to Medan in
\nNorth Sumatra had been fully booked through June 4, the official
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
"There are a few business class seats left for June 5 on the
\nPenang-Medan flight," the official said.<\/p>\n
Ferry operators said services between Penang and Belawan, near
\nMedan, had been fully booked until the end of next week as the
\nsituation in Indonesia began to return to normal.<\/p>\n
Many Indonesians, mostly from Medan, fled to Penang to escape
\nthe violence that left more than 500 people dead, shops looted
\nand town-centers in ruins.<\/p>\n
The rioting and looting followed widespread political protests
\nagainst president Soeharto, who stepped down Thursday.<\/p>\n
The minority ethnic Chinese, who control much of Indonesia's
\ncommerce, became a frequent target of violence as the sprawling
\narchipelago suffered its worst economic crisis in decades.<\/p>\n
Flights<\/p>\n
In Singapore, flights to Jakarta were also mostly full as
\nSingapore hotel guests escaping Indonesia's violence began
\nchecking out, travel industry sources said.<\/p>\n
With yesterday's flights to Jakarta already packed, travel
\nagents said the trend was extending further into next week.<\/p>\n
"The next available seat is on Wednesday," a ticket agent for
\nIndonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia airlines was quoted by
\nReuters as saying.<\/p>\n
Singapore Airlines introduced larger-capacity planes for some
\nflights to Jakarta yesterday.<\/p>\n
State television said two of the six scheduled flights were
\nupgraded to a larger capacity in response to demand for seats.<\/p>\n
Agents for Singapore Airlines also said only a few tickets
\nwere available for today, and tomorrow's flights were fully
\nbooked in economy class. One flight had a business class seat.<\/p>\n
Singapore Airlines has seven daily flights to Jakarta.<\/p>\n
"Basically people are slowly starting to go back," said Marc
\nDardenne, manager at Singapore's Hyatt Regency hotel.<\/p>\n
"Some of them have gone back already," said Gina Tay-Weers,
\nmarketing communications manager at Marina Mandarin hotel.<\/p>\n
Singapore hotels experienced an unexpected boom in business
\nin mid-May when thousands of expatriates and Indonesians fled
\nviolence which hit several parts of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The exodus gave Singapore hotels occupancy rates of between 90
\npercent and 100 percent, well above averages earlier in the year.<\/p>\n
Dardenne said he expected occupancy rates at his hotel to
\ngradually fall back to about 70 percent.<\/p>\n
Tay-Weers said the Marina Mandarin had been 90 percent full in
\nthe past few days because of the Indonesian visitors.<\/p>\n
Dardenne said not all expatriates who were leaving were
\nheading back to Indonesia. Breadwinners were returning but other
\nfamily members were going to their home countries because it was
\nalready close to normal vacation times.<\/p>\n
Expatriates said many of those returning to Indonesia had
\nreturn tickets to Singapore in case violent demonstrations
\nreignited.<\/p>\n
Navy<\/p>\n
The three United States Navy vessels sent last week to
\nevacuate Americans from Indonesia were called off at the last
\nmoment but could return if the situation there deteriorates, Navy
\nofficials said yesterday.<\/p>\n
An amphibious group comprising the USS Belleau Wood, USS
\nDubuque and USS Germantown entered the Java Sea for about 24
\nhours Thursday and Friday, but turned around and docked in
\nSingapore after the situation in Indonesia stabilized, a U.S.
\nNavy public affairs officer, Commodore Greg Smith, told the
\nAssociated Press.<\/p>\n
The task force, with about 2,000 Marines, is due to leave
\nSingapore tomorrow and return to Thai waters for a planned
\nmilitary exercise there.<\/p>\n
The Belleau Wood task force was just entering the Java Sea on
\nits evacuation mission when Soeharto made his announcement to
\nresign.<\/p>\n
Smith added, however, "If things heat up again in Indonesia,
\nthere's the capability to return to the scene and participate on
\nvery short notice."<\/p>\n
He said, "Our capability involves a large number of
\nhelicopters that can go in and pick up a lot of Americans across
\nIndonesia."<\/p>\n
Taiwan has also partially lifted its travel ban on Indonesia
\nby letting travel agencies resume sending tour groups to the
\nholiday resort island of Bali.<\/p>\n
"But the travel ban will remain on other parts of Indonesia
\nuntil peace and order are restored," the Foreign Ministry said as
\nreported by DPA.<\/p>\n
The ministry made the decision after President B.J. Habibie
\nannounced his new cabinet Friday.<\/p>\n
Bali is one of the top destinations for travelers from Taiwan.
\nLast year, 202,095 people from Taiwan visited Indonesia, most of
\nthem went to Bali.<\/p>\n
The Taiwan Foreign Ministry has also stopped chartering planes
\nto evacuate Taiwan nationals out of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Since riots erupted in Indonesia, Taiwan has airlifted 7,000
\ninvestors and tourists out of capital Jakarta and Surabaya, East
\nJava, where Taiwan investors are concentrated.<\/p>\n
Taiwan is Indonesia's No. 6 investor, despite the lack of
\ndiplomatic ties. The unrest has shaken the confidence in some
\ninvestors, but others remain optimistic.<\/p>\n
Many investors who have fled Indonesia in the past week
\nprepare to return there to restart their businesses.<\/p>\n
The state-run Chinese Petroleum Corp. will send its staff back
\nto the Putata oil field in Indonesia to explore for oil. The Wei
\nChuan Group said its staff would return to Indonesia soon to
\nreopen its instant noodle factory.<\/p>",
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