Business at nightspots plummets after bombing

Business at nightspots plummets after bombing

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The number of people frequenting nightspots in Jakarta has
dropped by 70 percent following a bomb blast outside the Eksotis
discotheque in Mangga Besar, West Jakarta, on Sunday, the head of
the Indonesian Association of Entertainment Businesses
(Apehindo), Adrian Maelite, said on Monday.

"The explosion has scared off visitors and entertainment
businessmen. As a result, we're seeing our revenue drop to 70
percent," Adrian said.

He said that he realized the business was prone to security
problems.

Many discotheques, cafes and pubs located near the Eksotis
discotheque closed after the explosion.

"They closed in fear of further acts of terror," a street
vendor in the area told The Jakarta Post.

Sunday's blast seriously injured two men outside the Eksotis
discotheque. Two other bombs were found unexploded in the parking
lot of Sarinah shopping center in Central Jakarta and near the
1001 Discotheque on Jl. Hayam Wuruk in West Jakarta.

The bombing has prompted people like T. Revia, 28, an employee
of a research company on Jl. Sudirman, Central Jakarta, to be
more careful about visiting nightspots.

Revia and her friends normally spend their weekend nights in
cafes and bars. One of their favorite places is Hard Rock Cafe in
the Sarinah building, where the police found one of the bombs
early on Sunday morning.

"I will be more careful in choosing a place to hang out with
my friends. But I won't stop going out just because of bombings,
which have become common here," she told the Post on Monday.

Tony PA, an advertising agency employee, said that he would
cut down on his visits to nightclubs for the next several months.

"I admit that I'm wary, as I sometimes go to discos in the
Kota area," he said, referring to the area that the Eksotis
discotheque is located.

Tony, however, believes that bomb scares will not continue for
long. "I will go to clubs near the police headquarters," he said,
referring to the Senayan area, Central Jakarta.

However, business remains as usual at many nightspots,
including the Hard Rock Cafe, despite the fears.

Hard Rock Cafe spokeswoman Debbie Novillia said that patron
numbers remained normal as many wanted to watch the World Cup
early Sunday morning. "No reservations were canceled as a result
on Sunday," Debbie said.

Sarinah's property division head, Ferry M. Pasaribu, said that
customers went to the department store and spent time there as if
nothing had happened in the area.

"I haven't had any complaints from customers," he said.

Adrian refuted claims that the explosion was motivated by
business rivalry, saying that the Eksotis was a small venue and
the crime scene was not in the discotheque itself.

"I'd rather say it was politically motivated to invoke an
unstable atmosphere in Jakarta," he added.

Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid was quoted by
Antara as saying on Monday that the explosion was due to the
government's inaction against Theo Syafei, 62, one of the leaders
of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).

"The explosion occurred because there was no action taken
against him (Theo) so that the Islamic hard-liners got angry and
let the act of terror happen. I said 'let', do not misquote me,"
he told the media.

In January 1999, a number of Islamic organizations reported
Theo to the police for making a speech that they considered had
the potential to cause social unrest.

The case came to the fore again after the police arrested
Ja'far Umar Thalib, the leader of the hard-line Muslim group
Laskar Jihad recently.

Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil said that regardless
of who was behind Sunday's bombing, it was an act of terror, not
only against the public, but against the state as well.

"The bombing is a threat to the state. The government should
take a firm stance against terrorism. And that is not because we
want to satisfy the U.S., but because we have to take such a
stance. Indonesia should be free from terrorism," he told
reporters after opening a seminar on human rights here.

City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam said the
police would investigate the case seriously. "Thus far, we have
one suspect for further investigation," Anton said.

The suspect is Buyung, a parking attendant at the Eksotis
discotheque, who carelessly picked up the wrapped bomb and
carried it to the food stall where it exploded, he added.

The police also moved one of the injured victims, Ihin
Solichin, to Kramatjati Police Hospital in East Jakarta, from
Husada Hospital on Jl. Mangga Besar on Sunday night.

"We need him for further investigation and we must take care
of him," Anton said.

The other victim, Hadi Suhadi, 22, is still hospitalized and
under tight guard of police detectives at Husada Hospital. His
brother, Kusnadi, said he did not even know how his brother was
as he had not been able to obtain permission to see him.