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)