City to pay Rp 1 billion to Marriott bomb victims

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Governor Sutiyoso said on Thursday that the city administration has allocated about Rp 1 billion (US$116,279) to cover the medical expenses of victims of the JW Marriott Hotel bomb blast in South Jakarta on Tuesday.

He called on hospital managements not to charge the victims for medical treatment but instead bill his administration.

"I said earlier that all medical expenses for the Marriott bombing victims would be taken care of by my administration," he said on Friday, referring to the 149 people who had sustained injuries as a result of the explosion.

However, he said, the budget would not cover plastic surgery for victims who had suffered burns.

Ten people were killed in what was the fifth bombing to rock the capital this year alone. This was the first major incident of its kind since the Bali bombing in Kuta last year, in which 202 people were killed and 300 others injured.

One of the suspects in the bombing, Amrozi, was given the death penalty by the Denpasar District Court on Thursday.

Sutiyoso said that the budget would be taken from the City Health Agency's budget.

The governor was responding to complaints from victims who had to pay their medical expenses.

The family of one of the victims, Johannes Boelan, was asked to pay Rp 1.19 million to Cipto Mangunkusumo general hospital before they could reclaim his remains from the hospital's morgue.

Boelan, one of the 10 fatalities, died at the blast scene. He worked as a private driver for Kitty Yu Kway Ngar.

City administration spokesman Muhayat said that City Health Agency officials had informed hospital managements not to charge the victims.

"The information may not have reached all hospital staff yet," he said.

Sutiyoso also said that victims or families of the casualties would be welcome to claim reimbursement of medical bills from the agency by submitting the necessary documents.

He also said that his administration would grant a tax facility to the hotel to help it recover immediately. For this month only, the hotel management would be allowed to pay its value-added tax after the normal deadline of the 15th day of the month.

The administration will also exempt the hotel from fees for the collection and disposal of solid garbage produced during rebuilding and renovation.

Data at the City Revenue Agency shows that when the Marriott was opened in 2001, it paid Rp 1.4 billion in tax. In 2002, the hotel paid some Rp 9 billion in tax, and, during the first semester of this year, paid Rp 5.3 billion of its total liability of Rp 10 billion.