Living in fear
Living in fear
On Tuesday Jakarta was rocked by no less than six bomb
threats, the largest number on a single day to hit the capital.
All but one turned out to be a hoax. The sole explosion -- at a
shopping mall in the eastern residential district of Kelapa
Gading -- was caused by firecrackers.
Hoax or real, bombs or firecrackers, the increasing frequency
of such threats is of grave concern. They cannot be dismissed
simply as the work of pranksters. Police have refrained from
explaining who were behind these acts and why. However, the
guilty party's systematic method, combined with their ability to
avoid detection, point to a clandestine campaign of terror.
Reviewing the targets selected, the offensive is clearly aimed
at creating maximum disruption and unease. Phoned bomb threats
have been received at shopping malls, high-rise office buildings,
an airliner, a foreign mission and hospitals and government
offices, including the Attorney General's Office. Most of the
calls subsequently proved to be hoaxes. The only other recorded
explosion was at the vacant Ramayana department store on Jl. Agus
Salim (aka Jl. Sabang) in January. Although the two explosions
claimed no lives, there was damage to property and vehicles.
Since we do not know who is doing this and for what reason, we
cannot rule out the possibility of casualties next time around.
The spate of bomb threats is a new addition to a list of
factors that have given millions of residents the jitters during
the past year. We have already witnessed two destructive and
bloody riots and are constantly bombarded with rumors of further
chaos. The wave of robberies -- currently targeting not only
houses and banks, but also individuals on the streets, in taxis
and even in their own cars -- has alarmed people to such an
extent that many have begun to arm themselves.
Most people in Jakarta have simply adjusted their lives to the
new circumstances. Others have left town: many casual laborers
and domestic servants decided not to return from their home
villages after the Idul Fitri holiday. Others have decided to
begin a new life in foreign countries. Many embassies have issued
cautions to citizens intending travel to Indonesia. Their advice
to limit travel within Indonesia is one that any responsible
Indonesian would also give to family members.
Many of those living in Jakarta undoubtedly have contingency
plans should the situation take a turn for the worse, now a very
likely prospect. Life must go on. But we can only wonder what
kind of a life we are leading if we are continually haunted by
suspicion and fear.
A campaign of terror -- for that is what this series of bomb
threats essentially boils down to -- is the most despicable and
heinous crime. We cannot foresee who the next call will target
nor when this may happen. The riots at least provided some
notification signs before they erupted. With most crimes people
can take precautions to protect themselves. Bomb threats,
however, disrupt the lives of vulnerable and defenseless
individuals.
The most disturbing aspect of the current situation is an
apparent lack of action from the police. Not a single case
stemming from the recent threats has been resolved. We still do
not know whether these threats were pranks or were conducted for
other motives. We only know that they are disruptive and have
instilled even greater fear in the community.
The issue reveals the poorly equipped and deficient training
of our police and military to investigate, and also anticipate,
these cases. The National Police have repeatedly complained that
severe understaffing prevents them from maintaining security and
order in the archipelago. However, given the increasing number of
unsolved police cases, a greater problem seems to be the poor
caliber of the police force.
The current move by the Armed Forces (ABRI) to bolster numbers
in the police force through the creation of a civilian militia
will not likely deter the campaigners of terror. Under the
present circumstances, that money would be better spent upgrading
the investigative and intelligence skills of the existing force.