Australians shaken, but go on despite bombing
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
It began as a regular day at the Australian Embassy on Thursday morning as staff went about their duties and applicants began lining up for visas inside the compound. Little did they know that, just over 2.5 hours into the business day at 10:30 a.m., they would experience the most traumatic event of their lives.
The blast -- believed to come from a car bomb -- shattered glass and shook the compound, but the structural reinforcements of the building probably helped save lives. Compared to adjacent buildings, the embassy remained relatively undamaged aside from its outer fence which, apart from the main pillars, was obliterated.
The structural reinforcements allowed staff and visitors inside to exit orderly according to practiced emergency drills, and the embassy's public affairs counselor, Elizabeth O'Neill, said no staff inside the building was hurt.
Among those in the embassy at the time of the blast was noted Indonesianist Harold Crouch.
Not so lucky was a security guard stationed near the embassy gate, Anton Sujarwo, who was killed in the blast.
The reinforcements were constructed specifically to meet such contingencies, and was initiated at the height of anti-Australian demonstrations during the 1999 East Timor referendum. The fortifications were designed so the building would withstand bomb attacks, and bulletproof windows were installed after a midnight shooter shot at the embassy that year.
Ambassador David Ritchie, who was in the embassy at the time of the explosion, was whisked away about 12:30 p.m. in a private sedan that exited through Kuningan Plaza, next to the embassy. O'Neill said the envoy was unhurt.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer described the bomb as a direct attack against Australia. "You would have to conclude that it was directed towards Australia," he said in Adelaide as quoted by AFP.
Downer was set to arrive in the capital later in the evening, accompanied by at least seven officers from the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organization.
The bomb blast occurred less than six days after the U.S. and Australian embassies issued a new travel warning on Indonesia.
According to embassy officials, the embassy will be closed until further notice, and Australian nationals will be kept abreast of developments via mobile SMS and email.
Meanwhile, the Australian Consulate in Medan, North Sumatra, will be closed until Tuesday, and the consulate in Denpasar, Bali, is also expected to suspend operations temporarily.
It was reported in Sydney that Qantas would increase the capacity of aircraft flying the Jakarta-Sydney route in anticipation of a possible evacuation of Australians. Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon said the usual Boeing 767-300 plying the route would be replaced by the larger B747-400, which can accommodate 130 more passengers.
The latest terrorist attack has again raised concerns among the Australian community in Jakarta.
O'Neill said the embassy was allowing staff members and their families to return to Australia if they so chose.
Major companies affiliated or connected to Australia are also maintaining their vigilance. Anang R. Noor, deputy director of external relations at PT Rio Tinto Indonesia, said the company had increased the security alert status for its Jakarta office.
"Employees are permitted to be absent on Friday if they feel uncomfortable coming to work, but the office will remain open," he said. Rio Tinto's office is located a few hundred meters from the Australian Embassy.
Penny Robertson, Australian International School principal, said the school's two campuses in Pejaten and Kemang in South Jakarta would remain open on Friday.