Blasts rock Jakarta's Atrium Plaza

JAKARTA (JP): At least two explosions rocked the Atrium Plaza shopping mall in Central Jakarta's busy Senen business district on Sunday, just days after President Megawati Soekarnoputri joined the U.S.-led global war on terrorism.

The blasts hit the same shopping mall where a bomb attack on Aug. 1 injured six people, including the Malaysian citizen who planted the bomb.

The blasts that the police said to be from explosives planted in a red Ford Laser sedan, took place at 10:45 a.m. on the second level of the mall's multi-story parking lot, severely damaging at least seven cars.

No injuries or fatalities were reported in the explosions.

The shopping mall was closed immediately afterwards for a police investigation of the crime scene, but the nearby Aston Atrium Hotel remains opened.

Syahabudin, an employee of the hotel, told The Jakarta Post that none of the hotel guests were evacuated, but police had put up a police line nearby. Barbed wire fences were also erected for security precautions near the entrance, close to Atrium Plaza.

He said the blasts caused no panic among the 260 hotel guests, most of whom were Japanese.

Witnesses said they heard at least two explosions causing hundreds of shoppers and shop-owners to run out of the building in panic.

Police deployed hundreds of armed officers from its anti-riot unit to prevent looters from taking advantage of the situation. Members of the police bomb squad were seen combing the area, some with sniffer dogs.

The blasts occurred just days after Megawati held talks with President George W. Bush at the White House and agreed to support Bush's global war on terrorism in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

A shopper, whose Kijang van was one of the cars damaged by the blasts, told the Post he was shopping in the mall when the first explosion took place. He heard the second blast, which was stronger than the first, while visitors were being evacuated by security officers.

"I could feel the floor shaking a little," said the man, adding that together with other car owners he was still waiting for police clearance to take his car from the parking lot.

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Sofjan Jacoeb, who were inspecting the blast site, said the police so far had no suspects.

Central Jakarta Police Chief Sr. Comr. Matius Salempang said that police were questioning a number of witnesses.

He added that they did not yet know who was behind the blasts and what kind of explosives were used. "Let the special police team do their job first," he said.

One shop owner, whose store is located on the fifth floor of the plaza, told the Post the explosions could be heard loudly throughout the building and there was also a mild tremor following the blasts.

"A customer of mine immediately gathered his belongings and ran away," said Chandra Budiman.

Although shocked and in fear, he said he still wanted to continue his business at the Atrium even though the shopping plaza had become a target of two bomb attacks within two months.

"In this city, no place is safe anyway," Chandra remarked.

Political analyst Maswadi Rauf from the University of Indonesia told Antara the explosions indicated there were certain parties that were dissatisfied with the present government.

"Just like previous bombing cases, it could be an indication of certain parties' dissatisfaction with the current regime."

He regretted that the police had not been able to thoroughly solve terrorist attacks, because they held enough evidence from arrested suspects to be able to smash the ring. (06/09