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.