Hoax bomb threats hit Jakarta<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Several areas of the capital, still nursing
\nwounds from two days of street violence, were disrupted by hoax
\nbomb threats and rumors of fresh waves of riots yesterday.<\/p>\n
The authorities evacuated several major office blocks in
\ncentral Jakarta following anonymous calls that bombs had been
\nplanted in the capital's prime business areas.<\/p>\n
Rumors of youths going on the rampage prompted the authorities
\nto ask shopkeepers in Senen and Glodok to temporarily halt
\nactivities until further notice. Most stores reopened later in
\nthe afternoon<\/p>\n
City police spokesman Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna said his
\nheadquarters received distress calls for bomb disposal squads
\nfrom seven major office blocks during the day.<\/p>\n
\"Thank God, neither bombs nor other explosive devices were
\nfound in the buildings,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The rumors came as calm returned to the city after two days of
\nstreet violence following Saturday's bloody takeover of the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party (PDI) headquarters by the government-
\nbacked Soerjadi camp from supporters of ousted leader Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
Two people died, 26 people were injured, 34 buildings --
\nincluding seven banks-- were badly damaged and 91 vehicles
\ndestroyed when people went on the rampage Saturday and Sunday,
\naccording to the government.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Stock Exchange dropped 3.7 percent yesterday, as
\npanicky investors ditched Indonesian stocks.<\/p>\n
\"The logic is people just want to get out because they're
\nworried about further problems,\" said Eugene Galbraith, president
\nof HG Asia as quoted by AFP.<\/p>\n
At 5:30 p.m. (1030 GMT) the dollar was trading at 2,361
\nrupiah, down from Friday's close of 2,334 rupiah.<\/p>\n
Soldiers carrying machine guns were seen patrolling city
\nstreets yesterday. Access to the disputed party headquarters was
\nstill sealed and heavily guarded.<\/p>\n
Chaos reigned in some offices after anonymous callers warned
\nthat an explosion was imminent. A caller said bombs were planted
\non the 12th floor of the 21-story BRI I building and the 24th-
\nfloor of the 31-story BRI II building, an employee said.<\/p>\n
E. Saeffudin, deputy security chief of Bank Rakyat Indonesia
\n(BRI), said he had ignored one calls before he was told that he
\nshould take the threats seriously and evacuate employees.<\/p>\n
\"The first call came at 10.05 a.m, when a man told us a bomb
\nplanted in our building was set to explode at 11 a.m.,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"We thought it was only a hoax, but half an hour later came
\nthe second call, stressing he was serious with his threat. So we
\nimmediately decided to evacuate all the workers,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The buildings that received bomb threats were the Ministry of
\nInformation, the Migas building owned by the state-owned oil
\ncompany Pertamina, the Dharma Niaga building of the ministry of
\nindustry and trade, BRI I and BRI II towers which are both owned
\nby the state Bank Rakyat Indonesia, the privately-owned Chase
\nPlaza building and the YAI accountancy academy.<\/p>\n
Anonymous callers also threatened to set fire to Senen and
\nGlodok, two of Jakarta's main business districts.<\/p>\n
Iman Haryatna said that by yesterday evening, the number of
\npeople being held for questioning for their roles in Saturday's
\nriot had reached 215.<\/p>\n
\"They are under intensive questioning while we continue
\ncollecting evidence,\" he said, adding that he could not tell
\nwhether they are Megawati or Soerjadi supporters.<\/p>\n
The authorities have seized dozens of jerry cans full of
\ngasoline, several hundred iron bars and wreckage of three cars.<\/p>\n
In latest developments, the authorities apparently began to
\nprove they are serious about their plan to crack down on interest
\ngroups they believe were behind the riots.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, the attorney general's office questioned politician
\nRidwan Saidi, the leader of the Indonesian People's Council, one
\nof several non-governmental organizations the military has
\nsingled out as the instigators of the riots.<\/p>\n
He said he was questioned by eight investigators from 12 a.m.
\nto 4 p.m. on his organization, its activities and its demands.<\/p>\n
\"There is nothing new about the council's demands,\" he told
\nThe Jakarta Post after the questioning.<\/p>\n
Established by labor activists, human rights campaigners,
\nlawyers, political activists, journalists and women's rights
\nactivists, the council wants the government to lower prices,
\nuproot corruption and overhaul the political system.<\/p>\n
The activists come from 25 non-governmental organizations
\nwell-known for their critical stand against government
\norganizations. These include Aldera, the Indonesian Prosperous
\nLabor Union and the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute.<\/p>\n
On the number of deaths, chief of Central Jakarta police
\nprecinct Lt. Col. Abubakar Nataprawira said yesterday that the
\nnumber of fatalities following Saturday's violence remained at
\ntwo.<\/p>\n
A PDI official loyal to Megawati claimed yesterday that 63 of
\nhis colleagues were missing and there had been no information on
\ntheir whereabouts by last night.<\/p>\n
He said the names of the missing party activists had been
\nsupplied by local party branches. (team)<\/p>",
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