City returns to normal despite four bomb threats

City returns to normal despite four bomb threats

JAKARTA (JP): Four bomb hoaxes disrupted the city yesterday
but business activity in shopping centers and office buildings
was largely back to normal.

Shops in the Mangga Dua shopping malls and the Glodok
electronics market in West Jakarta, and the Pasar Baru and Senen
in Central Jakarta, which were all closed on Tuesday, were
crowded with shoppers yesterday.

Ambara, an assistant at a computer store in Glodok, said "We
still have to be alert even though we are open."

However a number of nightspots in the nearby Mangga Besar area
were still closed, due to rumors of a new wave of riots.

An owner of a karaoke hall said owners of entertainment sites
will wait and see what happens today before deciding whether to
reopen.

The embattled chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party,
Megawati Soekarnoputri, is scheduled to file a lawsuit today
against the government at the nearby Central Jakarta District
Court.

"We decided yesterday that we will close our centers for at
least three days while we monitor developments," the source, who
requested anonymity, said.

Traffic jams were visible again in the downtown area.

At least four bomb threat calls were made. One target was a
private mailing company, CV Titipan Kilat on Jl. Raden Saleh in
Central Jakarta.

Some 200 employees of the firm were evacuated after two
receptionists received two phone calls each, saying there was a
box containing a bomb in the building.

Receptionists Sulistini and Diatiningsih, who received the
calls from an unidentified man at 10 a.m, reported the calls to
their employer. But Sulistini collapsed when running to make the
report.

Another target was the Sarinah department store on Jl. MH
Thamrin.

The Bank BNI building on Jl. Sudirman, and the Permata Plaza,
also on Jl. MH Thamrin, received similar threats.

The Army's bomb disposal squad found nothing suspicious
anywhere after searching for two hours.

The bomb threat received by an operator at Sarinah, a high-
rise store frequented by tourists, was apparently ignored by
employees and shoppers.

On Tuesday, at least eight bomb-threat calls were made to
banks, office buildings and shopping centers.

Yesterday police continued to disperse crowds of students
either leaving or heading for school, in case they were coaxed
into joining potential riots.

A few schools were still closed, including the Kanisius
private school in Central Jakarta.

In Tangerang, security was significantly reduced. Only a few
marines were on guard while on Tuesday they were placed in
several locations.

The main bus terminals of Cikokol and Cimone catered to their
normal crowds after hundreds of commuters had taken the day off
Tuesday.

Luxury shopping centers like Lippo Supermal in the Karawaci
district were still quiet until late afternoon. However soldiers
were no longer visible.

In Bogor, south of Jakarta, things were back to normal after
one bomb hoax was reported Tuesday at a branch of the Bank
Central Asia on Jl. Juanda, one of the town's main roads.

Bomb threats also spread to Ujungpandang in South Sulawesi.

One call about a bomb was reported to be targeted at the
state-owned PT Pelabuhan Indonesia IV port company.

The call at 10:15 local time was made a few hours before an
official visit by Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto.

The six-story building and the port were thoroughly checked
before the bomb squad concluded the alarm was false.

Company employees and hundreds of passengers on the KM Binaiya
heading for Maumere in Irian Jaya, were nervous and some
panicked. (jun/bsr/anr/28)