Marriott blast affects neighboring businesses

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Two commercial centers, the closest trading hub to the JW Marriott Hotel in Kuningan, South Jakarta, were the most affected by the bomb blast which killed at least 10 people and wounded 149 others.

Almost all shop tenants at Ambassador Mall and the adjacent International Trade Center (ITC) Kuningan which are only some 300 meters from the hotel, said visitors had dropped by around 50 percent since the tragedy.

Some tenants even stated that visitors dropped by up to 70 percent on the second and third day after the incident. On Saturday, business had not totally recovered, but it was better than the previous days.

"I hope that this condition will not last too long," Melisa, an attendant of a shoe shop on the first floor of ITC Kuningan told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Arief, an attendant at a T-shirt shop on ITC Kuningan's second floor, said that usually the center was crowded with employees working in the surrounding offices during lunchtime and after office hours.

Arief estimated that visitors had dropped by 50 percent compared to normal.

"Maybe, people feel safer staying at their offices rather than hanging around here," he added.

Sumiati, an attendant of a drink kiosk at Ambassador Mall, said that business had not significantly recovered even on Saturday.

She said hundreds of visitors usually flocked the food court at the mall during the weekend.

"You can see that the there are not too many people here. Usually we are very busy serving customers," Sumiati told the Post on Saturday.

Similar complaints were also expressed by attendants at other shops selling cellular telephones, computers, clothes, electronic goods both at ITC and Ambassador Mall as well as at the Carrefour hypermarket at the ITC Kuningan basement.

Jejen, not his real name, a security officer at Ambassador Mall, admitted that the blast had seriously affected the number of visitors there, seen from the number of cars parked in the parking lots.

"Usually, the parking lots are packed with cars at this time, but now it is not even half full," Jejen, said adding that the security had been strengthened since the bomb blast.

He said, however, the situation was better on Saturday compared to the previous days.

He said apart from deploying some 120 security officials, the Ambassador Mall also involved 13 personnel of the Police Mobile Brigade to bolster security at the mall.

"The management of the mall briefed us and said that the number of security personnel would be doubled now so that the visitors feel secure," Jejen said.

Meanwhile, some visitors at a food court at the mall also said they did not feel as secure as before.

But for Anita, 23, a resident of Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta, the two shopping centers were much safer than visiting other places.

"If there will be another bomb blast, it must not be here, but in another place," Anita argued.