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