'Envoys unconcerned with Jakarta's security'

'Envoys unconcerned with Jakarta's security'

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta diplomatic corps dean Ribhi Y. Awad said
on Thursday that foreign ambassadors and their staff had only
taken on modest security precautions following recent acts of
terrorism in the capital.

In an interview with The Jakarta Post at his office on Jl.
Diponegoro, Central Jakarta, Awad, who is also the Palestine
ambassador to Indonesia, said he and his colleagues firmly
believed that the security climate would quickly improve.

Moreover, he said he had repeatedly advised fellow envoys not
to overreact.

"I always say to my colleagues 'don't panic'," he said.

"There is a fine line between panic and vigilance. I don't
call on the people to panic ... or to be obsessed with the
security issue," added Awad, who is also chairman of the local
Arab Ambassadors Council.

He said embassies were not entitled to have tanks or armored
cars stationed outside their buildings or envoys' homes.

"I'm sure that we will never reach that (awful) situation,"
Awad added.

People throughout the capital, including foreigners, have been
shaken by a series of deadly bombings.

The latest device was left in the basement parking lot of the
34-story Jakarta Stock Exchange building in South Jakarta last
week. It left at least 11 people dead and dozens of others
injured.

On Aug. 1, another powerful bomb exploded in front of the
official residence of Philippine Ambassador Leonides T. Caday in
Central Jakarta. The strong blast killed two people and injured
21 others.

Awad said the diplomatic community had taken only standard
precautionary measures, such as tightening security from local
staff to help protect embassies and ambassadors' residences.

The Indonesian government has also upped security at several
embassies which had reported they were in a dangerous situation,
he said.

Awad, however, refused to reveal the names of the countries.

He said he had spoken to several government officials,
including Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri and foreign
minister Alwi Shihab, who all said they were committed to
safeguarding the diplomatic community.

"We are confident that they meant it and we trust them, but we
are aware that a tranquil atmosphere can not be created
overnight," Awad said.

Unfortunately, he added, the personal experiences of some
envoys had contributed to concerns in the diplomatic community
over safety in Jakarta.

"Some (diplomatic residences) have been subjected to
vandalism, burglary, and stealing. For example, ... the house of
the United Arab Emirates' ambassador.

"In the last two months, his house has been burgled twice,"
Awad said

"There is concern and anxiety that the house of an ambassador
was attacked by burglars twice in two months."

The U.A.E ambassador was robbed by seven men in the first
burglary, he added.

The burglars, he said, left the house with several electronic
appliances.

Gangs of robbers have also managed to break into the
residences of the Kuwaiti and Iraqi ambassadors and steal
electronic goods, he said.

Awad added that an official at the Algerian Embassy had been
attacked in his house recently by burglars, who also made away
with electronic goods.

"These acts of burglary are very sensitive," he said.

Awad said the bombings were a cause of concern to the
diplomatic community, particularly the powerful blast near the
residence of the Manila envoy, which happened very close to his
home.

"I remember when it happened, our doors were slamming," he
recalled.

Last week, he said, the Libyan Embassy was subject to a bomb
threat that later turned out to be a hoax.

Awad said he was troubled by the seemingly continuous student
brawls in front of his office.

"There are brawls between school children almost everyday in
front of our embassy. Believe me, I'm frustrated sometimes," Awad
said.

"I've been to school in Palestine. All school children get
into a fight once or twice, but never on a daily basis," said
Awad, who once shot a suspected robber in his house.

"I think it's the responsibility of the family, the schools,
the mass media and government to make a concerted effort to stop
this ugly behavior where the students attack each other." (jaw)