Fallout from Bali blast also felt in Jakarta
Fallout from Bali blast also felt in Jakarta
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Entertainment centers in the city are on the alert and
increasing their security measures following the bombings in Bali
on Saturday night which left more than 180 people dead, an
industry official said on Sunday.
The secretary of the Entertainment Center Owners Association,
Adrian Maelite, said that foreign guests evacuated several
entertainment centers in the capital, including pubs and
discotheques, hours after the bombing in Bali.
"The discotheques and pubs, which usually stay open until the
early morning, were empty at 1 a.m. last night. I think (the
people) heard the news," Adrian told The Jakarta Post.
He said he had instructed centers frequented by foreigners to
increase security, and had asked the police to deploy more
officers at the centers.
He pointed to at least three areas that are frequented by
foreigners; Hailai discotheque in North Jakarta, Jl. Melawai in
South Jakarta and the Tanamur discotheque in Tanah Abang, Central
Jakarta.
Adrian condemned the Bali bombing, and urged the police to
bring the perpetrators to justice immediately.
"Jakarta has been terrorized before and now Bali, which is
known as the safest place (in Indonesia). Police should move
quickly," he said.
He predicted that in the coming months there would be a drop
in the number of guests, especially foreign ones, to
entertainment centers.
"It's a tragedy. It will take a long time to recover," he
said.
Meanwhile, Marzuki Usman, former minister of tourism and
culture and the chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB)'s
Jakarta chapter, condemned the bombing in Bali and urged the
police to arrest the perpetrators.
He called on the police to increase security in Jakarta and to
take stern measures against all militant groups, some of which
have in the past vandalized entertainment centers in the city.
One radical group, the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), damaged
several entertainment centers here last week. Police arrested at
least eight members of the group.
On Sunday morning the American Sports Club on Jl. Brawijaya in
South Jakarta received a bomb threat from an unidentified man,
who ordered the club to close or be bombed.
Police officers deployed to the scene found nothing suspicious
at the club.
The chairwoman of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant
Association, Yanti Sukamdani, also condemned the bombing.
"We convey our deepest condolences to the bombing victims. We
firmly deplore the bombing in Bali, the window of the country's
tourism industry," Yanti told the Post.
She predicted that the hotel occupancy rate, which is
currently at an average of 50 percent, would drop.
Meanwhile, the Sheraton Bandara Hotel's public relations
manager, Prima Soemarno, said on Sunday the hotel had tightened
its security following the bombing in Bali.
"We have told our security officers to be more alert following
the bombing in Bali," Prima told the Post. But he added that
there had been no increase in the number of security officers at
the hotel, located near the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
City police chief, Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara, stated on
Sunday that the police would increase security in the capital.
"We are taking the necessary measures to improve security in
the city. We urge people to report to the police any suspicious
activities," he said on Sunday after the National Police chief,
Gen. Da'i Bachtiar, ordered all regional police chiefs to
increase security in their respective provinces.