JP/12/REAX

JP/12/REAX

RI condemns London attacks, no Indonesian injured so far

Ivy Susanti
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The Indonesian government has condemned the terrorist attacks
in London on Thursday, in which 33 people were confirmed killed
and hundreds injured.

Marty Natalegawa, foreign ministry spokesman, said the
government had been shocked by the news and offered its sympathy
to the victims of the blast, which rocked the London subway and
ripped open at least one packed double-decker bus during the
morning rush hour.

"We are appalled by the news of the terrible acts of terrorism
that struck London. We condemn these acts, which remind us that
such acts of terrorism can strike any place at any time, causing
great suffering to innocents. We express our sympathy to those
who have lost their family members and friends in the explosions
and pray for the wounded, for their speedy recovery," he told The
Jakarta Post on Thursday.

He confirmed that an Indonesian, Agus Warcoko, had sustained a
minor injury in the blast. Agus, the deputy general manager of
the London branch of Bank Negara Indonesia, was on the bus when
the explosion occurred.

"He is being treated at a nearby hotel, which is also
sheltering many victims who suffered minor injuries," Marty, who
has been nominated for the post of ambassador to the United
Kingdom and Ireland, said.

The blasts took place in four places -- three at busy
underground train stations and one on the bus, according to BBC
News. The explosions hit the Aldgate East-Liverpool Street Tube
Stations, Edgware Road Tube Station, King's Cross Tube-Russel
Square and on a bus that was cruising on Woburn Place, which is
close to Russel Square.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair told a press conference in
the middle of the Group of Eight industrialized countries summit
in Gleneagles, Scotland, that "it is reasonably clear that there
have been a series of terrorist attacks in London".

Marty said the embassy in UK had warned, after the attacks,
Indonesian nationals to remain alert.

The Indonesian Embassy is located in the vicinity of Grosvenor
Square, across from the U.S. Embassy. Eddy Pratomo, charge
d'affaires at the Indonesian Embassy, said that both embassies
remained alert to any possible security threat.

"The U.S. embassy is getting well-prepared. So are we," he
said over the telephone from London.

He said the embassy was cooperating with the UK foreign
ministry to get the latest updates on the incident.

Eddy said that mobile communications crashed in the aftermath
of the explosions. "Our mobile connections are jammed. We are
experiencing difficulties in getting information about the
situation," he said.