Bomb hoax disrupts sports congress

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)