Bomb hoax disrupts sports congress

JAKARTA (JP): A bomb threat which turned out to be just a hoax interrupted the second day of the three-day national sports congress at the Hotel Mulia Senayan in Central Jakarta on Tuesday morning.

During the search conducted by a team of the Gegana police bomb squad, most of the 350 participants who consisted mainly of sports officials from all the provinces across the country and executives of 54 sports organizations did not realize that the building was under serious threat.

Many of the participants continued to enjoy the snacks provided by National Sports Council, the organizers.

A few others thought that the presence of the Gegana officers was just a joke.

Some even asked what was Gegana all about and what they were doing there.

Earlier, at around 10.20 a.m., the congress organizing committee chairman, Rudolf S. Warouw, suddenly told the participants to take a coffee break, saying that the ballroom used for the meeting had to be "cleaned up".

Shortly after the participants left, the Gegana team hurriedly entered the room and began to look for any possible explosive devices.

After a search lasting 50 minutes, the squad found nothing and declared the ballroom safe.

"It's just a trick by people who have no work to do. Nothing could threaten the sports community because we base our relations on friendship," said Warouw, who is also secretary-general of the National Sports Council (KONI), the organizer of the congress.

According to Warouw, the mysterious bomb threat addressed to the congress organizers was sent via the hotel's fax service. The sender did not reveal his or her identity.

Warouw said he received the fax from a hotel staffer at around 7 a.m. after returning from jogging at the nearby Senayan stadium.

In the fax the sender stated in the typed letter that the bomb would explode between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

"I then directly reported it to KONI chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar and to police. It's just a precaution," he said.

Former Jakarta police chief, Mochamad Hindarto, who is also a KONI executive, reminded KONI officials that such a threat should be taken seriously.

"If it's only a joke, it's OK. But if it's a real threat? We have to be careful," Hindarto said.

He insisted the police would indeed be able to trace the sender of the mysterious fax. (yan)