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.