Jakarta, city of terror

Jakarta, city of terror

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

For many Jakartans, bomb attacks and threats are still a real
fear because of their frequent occurrence. The repeated bombings
have spread an acute sense of anxiety affecting the way people
live.

"I feel that public places now are possible targets for bomb
attacks... To be cautious, I limit my visits to shopping centers.
Staying at home is probably the best choice now," said Suparni,
24, a resident of Radio Dalam, South Jakarta.

In the last five years, Jakarta recorded at least 63 bomb
attacks that claimed 33 lives and wounded 304 people. The highest
number of bomb attacks, reaching 31, was recorded in 2001, while
the lowest was in 1999 with four bombings.

This year, there have already been six blasts in the city.

The data is enough to surmise that Jakarta is among the most
terrifying cities in the world.

No place in the capital is safe from the threat of bomb
attacks, not even the place one would think to be the safest in
the city, the National Police Headquarters in South Jakarta.

The explosion that ripped through Wisma Bhayangkari hall in
the headquarters' compound on Feb. 13 and an abortive bombing
attempt at the Jakarta Police Headquarters on May 10 were two
blatant examples of how vulnerable the metropolis is.

Although former police expert on counterterrorism Anang
Sumpena had been sentenced to one year in prison for what was
thought to be a retaliatory attack at Wisma Bhayangkari, he said
he was merely a scapegoat because fellow police officers could
not find the real culprit.

The most devastating bombing of the JW Marriott Hotel in Mega
Kuningan, South Jakarta, on Aug. 5, galvanized the police into
action to work more seriously to prevent such attacks from
repeating. Twelve people were killed while 147 others were
injured in the blast.

For another Jakartan, Kelik, 23, bombings would still occur in
spite of police efforts to stop terror attacks in the capital.

"I'm sure there'll be more bomb blasts... I don't believe that
police will be able to detect them," he said.

A high-ranking police investigator, who was in charge of the
bombing investigation, confirmed recently that terrorists might
strike again soon as many terrorist suspects were still at large.

"They can recruit new bomb executors immediately while they
are on the run," said a one-star general who requested anonymity.

The police named several possible bombing targets listed in a
handwritten note by Asmar Latin Sani, the suicide bomber of the
Marriott hotel.

The targets include Citibank Landmark in Setiabudi, South
Jakarta; Citibank Pondok Indah, South Jakarta; Caltex office in
Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta; expatriate residential areas, Hero and
Kem Chicks supermarkets, all in Kemang, South Jakarta; the
Marriott hotel and international schools like Jakarta
International School and the Australian International School.

According to a police document made available to The Jakarta
Post, regional terrorist network Jamaah Islamiyah (JI),
separatist group Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and several individuals
are allegedly behind this year's bombings.

Police suspect that GAM was behind the bombings near the
United Nations Representatives Office on Jl. KH Wahid Hasyim;
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Nusantara IV building in
the House of Representatives compound.

Amid concerns of possible further bombings, the police's
success in investigating the bombings this year was reassuring.

"The police's success in solving bombing cases recently was
praiseworthy despite lingering public skepticism," said Rashid H
Lubis, the director of police watchdog Polwatch.

The police managed to solve all six bombing cases this year.
Last year, the police cleared up seven cases, leaving one case
unsolved out of eight bombings. In 2001, the police only solved
19 out of 31 bombing cases.

However, Rashid lamented "the way" police attained their
goals.

"In many cases, the police carried out measures that are
against the law in their efforts to unravel the bombing cases.
They should solve the cases without violating the law
themselves," Rashid said.

He referred to rampant practices of forcible arrests of
terrorist suspects without any arrest warrant at all.

Erlangga Masdiana, a criminologist of the University of
Indonesia, concurred, urging the police to improve their
professionalism in solving bombing cases.

"In most cases, the police were only able to apprehend the
field executors of the bombings. Very rarely, the police are able
to uncover the masterminds of the attacks," he said.

He called on the police to be resolute in solving bombing
cases and preventing other attacks.

"The frequent bombings in the city could reduce people's
sensitivity to violence... The society will be in serious danger
if people consider bomb attacks as ordinary cases," he warned.

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Bombing attacks in Jakarta
in 2003
===========================================================================================================
Date Location Suspects Evidence Losses Remarks
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aug. 5 JW Marriott Hotel dead: fragments of concrete, 13 fatalities high explosives

South Jakarta Asmar Latin Sani glass, body parts 147 injuries car bomb

arrested: fragments of car bomb 10 cars suicide bomb

Malikul one Toyota Kijang van major damage JI

M.Rais burnt, to hotel's structure

Sardona Siliwangi nine damaged cars, and Syailendra

Datuk Rajo Ameh fragments of a big restaurant

Idris plastic water container,

Purwadi dry cell batteries, etc.

Suprapto

Solihin

Heru Setyanto

Toni Togar

July, 14 Nusantara IV arrested: pieces of shrapnel from metal door of low explosives

building, House Fadli Hasan pipe bomb chiller room pipe bomb/timer

of Representatives Adityawarman timer GAM

compound, S.Jakarta fugitive: black powder

Tengku Banta MB

Zulfikar

Maulana

May, 10 Jakarta Police HQ's Eni Budiastuti two small plastic pipe abortive bombing

checkpoint Sahlan bombs attempt.

South Jakarta a taxi explosives from

Ambon, Maluku
Apr. 27 Soekarno-Hatta as July, 14's pieces of shrapnel from nine injured pipe bomb, timer

International suspects pipe bomb, timer, shattered glass low explosives

Airport, Tanggerang nails, GAM

pieces of 12 volt batteries

leg parts
Apr. 24 Jl. Wahid Hasyim as above minor damage on the as above

near UN Representa bridge

tives Office build.

Central Jakarta

Feb. 3 Bhayangkari build. Anang Sumpena pieces of shrapnel of timer minor damage low explosives

National Police HQ and pipe bomb to the ceiling suspect is former

South Jakarta and two cars police bomb squad

Source: media reports