International schools to reopen
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
After being closed for almost two weeks due to security reasons, the Australian International School, the British International School (BIS) and Jakarta International School (JIS) will reopen on Thursday.
"BIS will be open for all students, tomorrow, Thursday, 28 November. The decision to reopen has been made with the support of the British Embassy and security organizations," the principal, Peter Hoggins, said Wednesday on the school's website.
The decision was made following an open meeting attended by over 300 parents on Tuesday night. Richard Gozney, the British Ambassador, was himself among those present to answer questions regarding security at the British school.
JIS also held a similar meeting on Tuesday evening, attended by over 800 parents, and decided to reopen on Thursday as security at the school had been upgraded significantly.
According to information available on its website, JIS had a combined force of nearly 60 officers from the police, including the police mobile brigade (Brimob), to protect the school's students and facilities around the clock, for as long as the threat persists.
According to Headmaster of JIS, Dr. Niall Nelson, "We have been pleased with the response of the Indonesian police and government authorities to our security concerns. The decision to reopen was taken after consultation with embassy and private security consultants, and with the concurrence of members of our governing bodies, including representatives of the American, Australian and British ambassadors."
The Australian school will also reopen as they believed that the security conditions continued to improve.
"We will reopen on Thursday because we have had a lot of support from the Indonesian police," head of the Australian school, Penny Robertson, told Reuters.
She said the police presence at her school's two Jakarta campuses had been doubled and surveillance increased, with officers patrolling 24 hours.
"I think parents should feel confident about sending their children back to school given the measures that have been taken," she said.
Activities at the three international schools had been halted since Nov. 15, following a security advisory issued by the Australian Embassy nearly five weeks after the Bali bombings that killed almost 200 people.
The advisory was based on "credible" information received by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) regarding a possible threat by terrorist elements targeting schools in Indonesia with western affiliations.
Since the Bali tragedy, there have been dozens of reported threats throughout the city, but all have turned out to be hoaxes.
Last year, a grenade was thrown into the Australian International School campus, but no one was injured and the school remained open. The police are still in the dark about the incident.