Another blast shakes Omni Batavia Hotel

Another blast shakes Omni Batavia Hotel

JAKARTA (JP): Less than 16 hours after an explosion at the
residence of Governor Sutiyoso, the capital was rocked by a blast
at a four-star hotel in West Jakarta, giving Jakarta an unwanted
new title: the city of terror.

No fatalities were recorded in the blast, which occurred at
1:15 p.m. on Friday on the fifth floor of the Omni Batavia Hotel.
The blast is believed to have been caused by firecrackers.

Besides shattering several windows and damaging doors, guest
rooms and elevators, the explosion caused some of the 11 guests
to check out of the hotel on Jl. Kali Besar Raya, home to
numerous old buildings.

Judging from the evidence at the scene, a senior officer from
the West Jakarta Police said the blast came from about 10 large
firecrackers placed in a trash bin located in front of the
elevator on the fifth floor.

"We found shreds of paper and red plastic which are usually
used to wrap firecrackers," the chief of the West Jakarta Police,
Supt. Iwan Nurisman Ismet, told journalists at the scene.

Hundreds of people gathered in front of the hotel following
the blast, forcing the police to block off the hotel's lobby,
which was littered with shattered glass.

Sahroni, a street vendor who works in front of the hotel, said
he was sitting near his stand when the blast occurred.

"I heard a sound and suddenly I saw a flash of light through
the hotel's windows. I found out later it was a blast," he said,
adding that he did not see a lot of people rushing out of the
hotel after the blast.

A hotel employee who refused to be named said there were not
many guests in the 398-room hotel.

"There were only 11 guests staying at the hotel at the time of
the blast," he said.

Iwan said a number of schoolchildren had taken part in a
painting competition with the theme Old City Jakarta in the
morning on the second floor of the hotel. He gave no further
explanation.

Iwan said the police would look for motives behind the
incident, including recent internal problems at the hotel.

He was referring to a strike staged by a number of hotel
employees about two weeks ago to protest the choice for the
hotel's new general manager.

However, Iwan said he did not believe it likely that this was
in some way connected to the blast.

"Moreover, the protest was settled by the employees and the
hotel's management," Iwan said.

Separately, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Mulyono Sulaiman
pledged the incident would not affect the police's search for
Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, saying the search was still his
force's top priority.

Tommy was sentenced by the Supreme Court to 18 months in
prison on charges stemming from a corruption case. Tommy was
declared a fugitive when he failed to meet a deadline to turn
himself in and begin serving the sentence.

Meanwhile, the chief of the city police's criminal
investigation unit, Sr. Supt. Harry Montolalu, said his men had
questioned four witnesses in connection with the blast at the
official residence of Governor Sutiyoso in Menteng, Central
Jakarta, on Thursday evening. The explosion is believed to have
been caused by a grenade.

"The four witnesses are two employees at the governor's
residence, a security guard at the nearby official residence of
Navy chief Adm. Indroko Sastrowiyono and another person who lives
next to the governor's residence," he told reporters at the Omni
Batavia Hotel.

Harry, however, refused to provide the identities of the
witnesses.

He said he was positive that Sutiyoso, a retired three-star
Army general, was the target of the blast.

"Since he is the governor, it is assumed that he holds a
political post. Therefore, he might become a target of his
opponents," he said.

Harry refused to say whether the blast was connected with
previous explosions in the capital.

"We have yet to determine this, but most likely it was not
related with the previous attacks in the capital," he said.

A security guard at the governor's residence, Chief Pvt. M.
Sholeh, said he was watching television when he heard something
rolling on the roof of the garage, just before the explosion
occurred.

The garage is located outside the main residential building,
which is located near the residences of a number of top political
and military figures, including Indonesian Military Commander
Adm. Widodo A.S.

"I didn't hear any vehicles passing by in front of the
governor's house since I was watching the TV. Suddenly, something
hit the roof and several seconds later it exploded, at 8:25
p.m.," he said.

The explosion caused minor injuries to Budi Santoso, an
employee at the governor's residence.

Sholeh, attached to the Jakarta Military Command, said after
the explosion he grabbed his rifle and searched for the
attackers. "But the street was already empty." (jaw/asa)