Hotels urged to tighten security
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
City police urged all hotels on Friday to tighten security checks on vehicles entering their premises in the wake of a fresh warning issued by the U.S. embassy in Jakarta that terrorists were eying hotels frequented by Westerners in the capital.
"We specifically call on hotel managers to maintain strict checks on all vehicles," city police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono announced to the public.
He also appealed to operators of shopping malls, office blocks and entertainment centers to continue keeping a close look out for suspicious people.
Tjiptono said the police would maintain a high alert status, with its full force deployed to ensure security in the capital.
The special call to hotels was made after the U.S. Embassy, on its official website, informed its citizens to stay away from "lobbies of hotels frequented by westerners in Jakarta" amid possible bomb attacks planned by extremists.
The warning was made just four days after the U.S. Embassy reopened to the public on Tuesday (May 31) after temporarily closing down -- since May 26 -- due to a similar threat of a bomb attack.
The embassy said the attacks were likely to occur around noon but there was not a date specified. There was no additional information on the timing or method of the attacks.
National police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar confirmed the bomb threat, saying, "Azahari and his ilk may be linked to the threat."
He was referring to suspected terrorists Azahari Husin and Noordin Moh. Top, the two Malaysian nationals are still at large and believed to be the key people behind a spate of terror attacks over the last few years.
Police believe that they masterminded the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, the JW Marriott Hotel attack, which claimed 12 lives and the bombing outside the Australian Embassy on Sept. 9 last year. Police also said the suspects have recruited other people while on the lam to prepare for other attacks.
Chairperson of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), Yanti Sukamdani, also confirmed the threat, but declined to comment further.
Police officers were seen on Friday checking cargo vans and trucks on city streets.
Police have also asked for the Jakarta administration's help in ensuring security.
Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo said that the administration had called all heads of districts and subdistricts on Thursday and briefed them on the necessary measures to be taken to help prevent any bomb attacks here.
"We don't want to allow another attack, which will only victimize residents," said Fauzi at City Hall.
Meanwhile, Governor Sutiyoso said citizen participation in the security measures could include the monitoring of all visitors at rented homes and boarding houses, for instance. He added that it was of paramount import to stave off another terror attack.
"That's a simple task to do for each resident, and would be a great help for the police," Sutiyoso said.
The country has endured many bombings of late, the most recent of which coming last Saturday, which killed 21 people and injured approximately 70 others in Tentena, Central Sulawesi.
So far, police have arrested 13 people they believe are involved in the bombings, including a prison warden and a government official in prison for graft.