Bush's visit causes passengers long wait

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Kuta, Bali

Hundreds of airline passengers were stranded at the Ngurah Rai airport during the three-hour visit of United States President George W. Bush, despite Indonesia's refusal to meet Washington's demand for a no-fly-zone.

Sitting on a wooden bench outside the domestic terminal of the airport, the visibly exhausted Dayu expressed her frustration at security measures that had delayed her flight to Surabaya by four hours.

"My flight was supposed to take off at 12 noon. I had been here since 9 a.m. but was informed that my flight was postponed. Eventually I was transferred to another flight departing at 4 p.m. Of course I am upset," she said.

Another passenger, Muhadi, whose Jakarta-bound flight was canceled, grabbed his suitcase and left the airport.

Since the airport had already been closed to private vehicles, the man would likely have had to walk almost one kilometer under the scorching sun to reach the outermost security post, where he could hail a cab.

"It really pissed me off. The government had said that the airport would not be closed and that there would be no cancellations. But my flight was canceled," he muttered.

Although the airport did not officially enforce a "no-fly zone" it was, in fact, closed to aerial activity from 9:47 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. on Wednesday. Seven airlines were forced to delay at least 21 domestic flights and re-schedule eight international flights.

Access to the airport was closed and it had been cordoned off by security officers since early in the morning. Those who wanted to enter, or leave the airport, had to do so by foot. So firm were the restrictions that a disabled passenger had to make his way from the gate to the airport in his wheelchair.

These were the tightest security measures ever experienced by the Balinese people.

U.S. Marines and Special Forces troops -- equipped with gas masks and grenade launchers -- combed the airport and were lined up along the 500 meter road connecting the airport with the Patra Bali Resort and Villas, where Bush held talks with President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

A Black Hawk helicopter hovered low over the hotel a few minutes before Bush's limousine and nine black vans, transporting Secret Service agents, arrived.

A few moments later it was clear that it was the Americans, who ran the show. A heated debate between an Indonesian Army officer and an American Secret Service agent ensued in the hotel's lobby after the agent asked Indonesian journalists -- who already had the required IDs -- to leave the grounds. Eventually, the journalists gave up and left.

Separately, another agent prohibited a high-ranking Bali Police officer from entering the hotel grounds, much to the amazement of the officer.

However, the most embarrassing security incident took place a few minutes after the Air Force One landed at the airport. Several Secret Service agents stopped to prohibit six Indonesian high-ranking officials -- including Bali Governor Dewa Made Beratha, Udayana Military Commander Maj. Gen Agus Soeyitno and Bali Police Chief Insp. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika -- from approaching the aircraft to greet President Bush.

The agents' behavior apparently annoyed the officials, who then took a U-turn and immediately left the tarmac.

"The agents, who later realized that their president had wanted to meet Pastika in the first place and that the greeting ceremony was in fact on the official itinerary, ran after the Indonesian officials and repeatedly apologized for the incident. The officials, however, refused to return to the tarmac," a source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told The Jakarta Post