Lombok joins bin Laden hunt

MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara (JP): "Osama fever" has hit Lombok, an island near Bali famous for its sun, sand and sea.

Last weekend, tourists and residents were bemused when police stopped cars and searched vehicles in case vehicle owners were hiding the world's most wanted man: Osama bin Laden.

An amused local businesswoman Elly Kelvin said she could not stop wondering how the police could believe rumors that bin Laden had gone into hiding in Bali or Lombok after President George W. Bush named him as a suspect in the Sept. 11 attack on the United States.

"It is really absurd," she said.

Heidy Frank, a German tourist, recalled how scared she was when the police waved down her minivan. In her mind was the news about the threats against U.S. citizens.

Sumiyati, a social worker, commented, "The police should first find Tommy (fugitive Hutomo Mandala Putra, son of former president Soeharto) before trying to catch bin Laden."

"The police stopped the angkot (public minivan) and searched for the fugitive," she said.

The police declined to comment on the operation. Certainly, they did it on their own initiative, not on President Bush's behest. (raw)