Jakartans greet New Year's with joy<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Like revelers in other metropolises across the
\nglobe, partygoers welcoming the new millennium in Jakarta
\ncelebrated the once-in-a-lifetime rollover with joy, nods to
\nreligion, paper trumpets, firecrackers and fireworks.<\/p>\n
The much-feared Y2K computer bug was quickly forgotten as no
\nbug-related problems materialized. Water and electricity,
\nelevators and automatic teller machines in Greater Jakarta
\noperated as normal with no signs of Y2K glitches.<\/p>\n
Some people, however, complained about difficulty in using
\ntheir cellular phones in the first few minutes of the new
\nmillennium.<\/p>\n
The most significant problem facing millions of Jakartans,
\nparticularly those celebrating the arrival of the third
\nmillennium on the city's major thoroughfares, at the National
\nMonument (Monas) in Central Jakarta, Ancol Dreamland in North
\nJakarta and the cafes at Kampung Tenda Semanggi in South Jakarta,
\nwas the firecrackers and fireworks set off by fellow revelers.<\/p>\n
\"Go to hell with the millennium. Those teenagers threw
\nfirecrackers on my cart. I don't want to see my only asset
\ndestroyed. Go to hell with the teenagers,\" said Slamet, 31, a
\nfried rice vendor, as he pulled his cart away from Monas minutes
\nbefore the rollover.<\/p>\n
In an alley at Kampung Tenda Semanggi, owners of neighboring
\nrestaurants nearly came to blows at dusk following an explosion
\nof fireworks set off by an unknown person.<\/p>\n
Police and hospital sources recorded seven serious injuries in
\nJakarta and two in Bogor, south of here, resulting from
\nfireworks.<\/p>\n
At Monas, police seized some 10,000 firecrackers and arrested
\n19 people for selling the offending items.<\/p>\n
To the surprise of some, the city and its surrounding areas
\nsaw almost no serious clashes or crimes from Friday evening to
\nSaturday morning. Last week, Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen.
\nRyamizard Ryacudu issued a warning about the possibility of
\nreligious conflicts in the capital during the New Year.<\/p>\n
On Friday morning, the main streets of Jakarta were virtually
\ndeserted. However, anyone who believed the streets would remain
\nquiet throughout the night were proved wrong.<\/p>\n
By 8:30 p.m. all of the roads to the 80-hectare Monas park,
\nAncol Dreamland and Indonesian Miniature Park (TMII) were packed
\nwith cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles. The roads in Tangerang,
\nBekasi and Bogor were similarly congested with revelers.<\/p>\n
At 6:50 p.m., the skies opened up and heavy rains blanketed
\nthe capital, but the deluge lasted for less than 20 minutes. Many
\nevent organizers had hired pawang hujan (shamans who are believed
\nto able to drive away the rain) to ensure this would be one night
\nduring the rainy season which would not be wet.<\/p>\n
Teenage revelers, setting aside all thoughts of personal
\nsafety, rode in the back of trucks, packed into bajaj (three-
\nwheeled motorized vehicle) and climbed onto the roofs of buses to
\njoin in the euphoria.<\/p>\n
Some of the city's residents spent the night at star-rated
\nhotels, well-known restaurants and cafes, all of which presented
\nthe standard entertainment of dinner and live music.<\/p>\n
At Planet Hollywood, where guests paid Rp 295,000 for the New
\nYear's package, organizers led guests into a tent where a
\nfortune-teller read them their fortunes for 2000.<\/p>\n
At the popular Blok M shopping center, scores of uniformed
\ncivilian guards from the Muslim organization Banser NU were seen
\npatrolling the area.<\/p>\n
At Ancol, thousands of revelers counted down the seconds to
\nthe third millennium. At the stroke of midnight, Governor
\nSutiyoso struck a small gold-colored gong, triggering a heavy
\ngold stick which struck a 3,000-kilogram gold gong.<\/p>\n
As hundreds of camera bulbs flashed, the huge gong thundered
\nand revelers screamed, blew trumpets and danced with joy as the
\ngong was struck six times to mark the start of 2000.<\/p>\n
Then came an explosion of light and noise as fireworks were
\nset off and parachutists from the Army's Special Force floated
\ndown from the skies.<\/p>\n
City Council Speaker Edy Waluyo came onstage to join in the
\nfestivities and help mark the beginning of the 21st century.<\/p>\n
Some areas of the city remained immune to the excitement of
\nthe night. At the illegal Kalijodo brothel complex in West
\nJakarta, for example, there were few signs of activity.<\/p>\n
While others were busy celebrating, scores of people seeking
\nto secure train tickets at Gambir station in Central Jakarta paid
\nlittle heed to the revelry all around them.<\/p>\n
\"If we don't queue tonight we might not get the tickets
\ntomorrow since there will be hundreds of people here tomorrow,\"
\nsaid Agus Sutomo, 68, who was hoping to buy train tickets so he,
\nhis wife and daughter could visit his hometown of Jombang.<\/p>\n
At several mosques, including Istiqlal Grand Mosque and Sunda
\nKelapa Mosque, numerous people, including youths, performed
\nmidnight prayers and recited the Koran.<\/p>\n
For Christians, a service was held at Bethel Indonesia Church
\nin Jembatan Dua, West Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The party began to wind down at around 2 a.m. as the streets
\nbegan to empty. Spent firecrackers and empty bottles littered the
\ncity, and dozens of workers began the task of cleaning up after
\nthe millennium celebration as tired revelers waited for taxis and
\nlined up at fast-food restaurants for a post-celebratory snack.
\n(asa\/ylt\/05\/bsr\/imn)<\/p>",
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