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.