City to allow thicker walls at embassies

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

A week after the bombing outside the Australian Embassy, Governor Sutiyoso will allow at least three embassies in the city to build thick outer walls as an effort to heighten security -- but he stressed these structures would only be temporary.

The call for stronger walls was made during a meeting between Sutiyoso and American Ambassador Ralph L. Boyce, British Ambassador Charles Humphrey and Australian Ambassador David Ritchie on Wednesday at the governor's residence in Menteng, Central Jakarta.

"We should allow them to build the strong walls. We must do our utmost to make them feel safe here," Sutiyoso said at City Hall.

"We have learned from the recent bomb attack outside the Australian Embassy last week that the embassy's iron fence and strong wall managed to protect the building from major damage," he said.

The large bomb shattered windows at nearby high-rise buildings in a 300-meter radius around the embassy. However, the blast only dented the embassy's meter-high concrete wall, while it caused more damage to about 2.5 meters of its outer iron fence. The embassy's windows, which were coated with a bomb-proof substance, only received minor damage.

However, Sutiyoso said the embassies would only be temporarily allowed to erect the thick outer walls.

"It (the policy) is only temporary... When the situation here has become safer, the walls must be taken down," he said.

The wall would contravene Bylaw No. 11/1988 on city public order, which allows outer walls with a maximum height of 1.5 meters.

Sutiyoso said ambassadors in the city were also looking into the possibility of moving their embassies to safer places. "They will consult with their respective security authorities first."

The U.S. Embassy press attache Max Kwak confirmed the meeting but declined to make any comment.

"I suggest you to talk to the governor's office about the issue," he told The Jakarta Post.

Later on Wednesday, Sutiyoso also met with municipal and regional officials from Tangerang, Bekasi, Depok and Bogor in Greater Jakarta along with representatives from West Java and Banten. The meeting discussed necessary security measures to prevent more acts of terror.

Bogor Deputy Mayor HM Sahid said his administration would intensify its monitoring of rented houses in Bogor.

"Jakarta has been tightening its monitoring of rented and boarding houses in the aftermath of the bombing. We assume that the bombing suspects will hide in less-monitored areas on the capital's outskirts," he said.

Police have named three suspects -- Akbar, Kobra and Sudadi -- in the bombing that killed at least nine people and injured more than 180 victims. Police believe Malaysian suspects, Azahari bin Husin and Noordin M. Top, masterminded the bombing.