Business as usual at airport after bomb explosion

Business as usual at airport after bomb explosion

Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A day after a bomb exploded at Departure Terminal F of the
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng, Tangerang,
early on Sunday, all activities had returned to normal.

When The Jakarta Post observed the location on Monday, all the
debris had been removed from the blast site, leaving almost no
signs of the blast, except empty glass panes at three different
locations.

One was at the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) fast-food
restaurant, the others were at the Sky Cafe Restaurant and Coffee
House and one opposite the site, above the Garuda Indonesia
ticket counter.

Food stalls at the location were also open as usual. Several
people were seen milling around the stalls, eating lunch.

"The police cordon was removed on Sunday at 10:15 p.m," said
Effendi, the technical operation manager of airport operator PT
Angkasa Pura II. The broken bench had also been removed.

Terminal F is one of the most crowded passenger terminals,
said Effendi, with about 7,000 passengers departing every day.
The terminal accommodates passengers traveling on the domestic
flights of Garuda Indonesia and Lion Air airlines.

The bomb was placed under a wooden bench and exploded at about
6:30 a.m. on Sunday, injuring 11 people. One of the victims,
Yuli, an 18-year-old nanny, had to have her left leg amputated
below the knee.

According to Effendi, the medical expenses of the injured
victims would be covered by the airport management. "The accident
happened within our area of responsibility," he said.

Several people were seen observing the bomb site with
curiosity. They were looking for any small telltale signs, but
found nothing. Several people were even sitting and waiting at
the bench next to the blast site.

Several officials from Angkasa Pura II were seen checking
various locations on Monday. Several security guards equipped
with metal detectors were placed at entry gates.

Every so often a pair of security guards would walk along the
departure hall. Meanwhile some photojournalists were also seen on
location, taking pictures of the bomb site.

A police officer who refused to be named, admitted that
security was lax at the time of the bomb blast. "Moreover, it was
Sunday," he said.

Many people were seen unperturbed by the incident as they kept
to their travel schedules.

Chandra Gupta, who was flying to Surabaya on Monday, said that
the blast did not prompt him to cancel his business trip. "I
cannot cancel my business appointment, meanwhile I do not think
paranoia is needed here," he said.

"If everyone becomes frightened and cancels their flights, the
bomber would surely be happy. That is the main aim of a bombing
act after all: to terrorize," said Chandra.

A mother of two, who was on her way back to Medan, said that
she was not worried after the blast.

"Life goes on, we cannot hold on to one incident and let it
ruin our daily life," she said, "Just leave it to the police."

Meanwhile, a foreigner who asked to be named as Neil, shared
the same thoughts. He was not worried about continuing his
business trip in the country, but he expected the authorities to
take prompt action and to seek out the suspect.

"People here surely need to be assured that such a blast will
not happen twice," said Neil.