Cafes, bars turn quite after Bali carnage

Cafes, bars turn quite after Bali carnage

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Cafes and bars frequented by tourists and expatriates have been
almost deafeningly silent following Saturday's terror attacks in
Bali that apparently targeted innocent foreign tourists, and
sparking fears of a massive business downturn throughout the
country.

"I am afraid the situation will get worse as many foreign
tourists have been leaving in a rush following the Bali tragedy,"
said Slamet of Memories Cafe on Jl. Jaksa, in Central Jakarta,
which is one of several popular restaurants/cafes for backpackers
and expatriates to hang out.

Slamet said his cafe had experienced about a 50 percent plunge
in net sales since Saturday night's bombings, and that he was
worried about the future of the business.

On Monday, there were just a handful of foreigners and locals
at the cafe, well below its relatively bustling norm.

Sulis Tio Sukron with the Badonci bar in Kemang, South Jakarta
also complained about the slow business. He said several of his
regular diners, who are students of international high schools
here, called to cancel their dinner reservations in the last
couple of days amid security fears.

"Most of them said they could not come because their parents
would not let them go out at all," said Sukron.

Sukron also has experienced about a 50 percent plunge in
business over the last two days.

Amid heightened security concerns, Sukron said, his security
people would personally cooperate with police and military
officers from nearby posts.

"We have tightened our security while we are also ready to
report any incident which is suspicious here," said Sukron.

Meanwhile, Danar, marketing coordinator at the nearby Salsa
Cafe revealed that the impact of the Kuta carnage would be much
worse, for Indonesian businesses, than the aftermath of the Sept.
11 attack last year.

"The incident could sink our business further as Bali was
known as the safest place. But, after the bomb attack, where else
could be claimed as a safe place, certainly not Jakarta?" Danar
remarked.

Two backpackers from France who had just arrived in Jakarta,
Istradelle and Manuelle, expressed concern over security in the
city, but had yet to decide whether or not they would just turn
around and leave.

"We've just arrived, and we only know a little bit of
information (about the incident). We will go to the (French)
Embassy to get the latest information," said Manuelle as he was
looking for a room on Jl. Jaksa.

Manuelle said that they had originally planned to stay in
Indonesia for three months with Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Bali on
the top of their itinerary, yet that plan would have to be
changed.

"Definitely, we won't visit Bali. But, we still want to visit
Yogya. It depends on lots of things. Security concerns,
especially, will be on the top of our consideration whether or
not we will shorten our stay here," he said.

Adrian Maelite of the Indonesian Association for Entertainment
Center Owners predicted that there would be a sharp drop in the
number of international guests to the capital in the coming
months.

"On Sunday evening, there were hardly any foreigners visiting
entertainment centers here, including the Tanamur discotheque,"
he told reporters on Monday, referring to the popular nightspot
located on Jl. Tanah Abang Timur, Central Jakarta.