School closed, expatriates leave after receiving extremists' threat<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
An international school in Central Java has been temporarily
\nclosed and dozens of Nike employees' family members have left
\nIndonesia for fear of being targeted by radicals seeking to
\nforcibly expel Americans.<\/p>\n
The Mountain View International Christian School located in
\nthe Central Java city of Salatiga will be closed for three months
\nfollowing a bomb threat it received on Oct. 2.<\/p>\n
Various Muslim groups have staged street rallies and
\nthreatened to attack American citizens if the U.S. takes military
\naction against Afghanistan in its hunt for Osama bin Laden, the
\nprime suspect in the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes on America.<\/p>\n
Antara reported that there had been no subsequent activity and
\nmany of the 143 students had returned to their countries of
\norigin, the U.S., Japan, India and South Korea.<\/p>\n
The school population includes 91 American citizens. Forty are
\nteachers and managers and the rest students. An estimated 100
\nAmericans had been living in Salatiga prior to Oct. 2.<\/p>\n
Salatiga police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Satria Firdaus Maseo said
\non Wednesday that the threat the school management received by
\nphone and the subsequent closure were regrettable.<\/p>\n
But he advised American citizens in Salatiga to remain
\nvigilant. \"Report any threats to the police,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Tuesday's bomb threat at 9:15 a.m was the second. The first
\ncame on Monday when a man called up the school to warn that a
\nbomb would go off at 9:15, Satria said. Both turned out to be
\nhoaxes.<\/p>\n
Sr. Comr. Didik Marsiwanto, chief of Greater Semarang police,
\nsaid security on the school premises had been tightened.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, the Nike shoe manufacturing company reported on
\nWednesday that wives and children of expatriates working at the
\nfirm had returned to their home countries due to security
\nconcerns.<\/p>\n
\"Some 25 to 30 family members of expatriates working for Nike
\nhave left Indonesia,\" Nike Country's Manager in Indonesia Jeff
\nDumont told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
He said there were 20 to 25 expatriates employed by Nike out
\nof a total of 200 employees working throughout Indonesia. The
\nnumber does not include workers at Nike's sub-contract companies.<\/p>\n
Dumont said he had also received information that families of
\nthe Adidas foot and sportswear company and several other foreign
\nfirms in Indonesia had done the same thing as a precautionary
\nmeasure.<\/p>\n
\"Many companies give freedom to their expatriates to send
\ntheir families back home,\" said Dumont, adding that the families
\nof Nike expatriates would come back to Indonesia when security
\nhad returned to normal.<\/p>\n
Rumors about imminent \"sweeps\" on Americans have also spread
\nthrough the Central Java town of Purwokerto. On Wednesday, 17
\nhoteliers came to the police seeking better protection.<\/p>\n
Adj. Sr. Comr. Sukamto Handoko promised to take firm action
\nagainst trouble makers. \"We will grab them and load them into our
\ntrucks for legal process,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/school-closed-expatriates-leave-after-receiving-extremists-threat-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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