Bomb hoax scares JSX employees

JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) was hit by a bomb threat on Friday and closed about an hour early with hundreds of workers in the two 32-story towers being evacuated.

Atik Suwardi, the security head of PT Danareksa Jakarta International which manages the two towers, said the bomb threat was received over the phone by Mia, a receptionist of PT Bursa Efek Jakarta, at 2:20 p.m. and again at 2:25 p.m.

"The caller told her that he had placed a bomb on the fourth floor at the first tower. The bomb was to explode at 4 p.m.," Suwardi said.

As soon as she received the calls, Mia contacted the building management who then relayed the threat and instructed all employees to leave the twin towers.

He said all employees hurriedly came down before the Gegana special bomb squad arrived at the scene at about 3 p.m.

A secretary of the building management, Theresia, nine months pregnant, was helped by her colleagues from her office on the 30th floor of the building, he said.

"I almost fainted on hearing the announcement. Fortunately, my friends helped me," a resident of Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, said.

At least six Gegana officers were deployed to comb the the first six floors but found nothing suspicious, Suwardi said.

"Maybe the officers did not think it would be necessary to comb the building entirely," he said.

The JSX said in a statement on Monday that the bomb threat did not affect transactions.

"Although brokers were asked to leave the exchange floor, the transaction machine remained on until the transactions finished at 4 p.m.," the statement said. (jun)