Public places beef up security
The Jakarta Post Jakarta/Yogyakarta
As a bomb expert who once lectured in Yogyakarta remains at large, efforts to beef up security continues at possible targets for terror bombs.
Among them are the Kem Chicks market in Kemang, South Jakarta, a favorite shopping spot for expatriate Jakartans and their families.
"We had tightened security even before the media released the news on possible targets, as most of our guests are foreigners," said the store manager on duty on Friday, who requested anonymity. The source said additional security personnel have been deployed to safeguard the store once the police revealed it as a possible target.
The JW Marriott Hotel in the Mega Kuningan Business District, South Jakarta -- where a bomb exploded on Aug. 5 that killed 12 people and injured 147 others -- has imposed tight security checks on vehicles entering the hotel's front gate.
"Since resuming operations, we have prioritized safety and security of our guests and employees," said the hotel's spokeswoman Mellani Solagratia.
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara has said that police remain on alert to prevent more bomb attacks in the city.
Police had warned of the possibility of terror attacks in early February as fugitive Malaysian terror suspect Dr. Azahari bin Husin and accomplices Noordin M. Top and Dulmatin, who all remain at large, would celebrate the six-month anniversary of the Marriott blast with another similar terrorist act.
Azahari -- an alleged leader of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), the al- Qaeda-linked terror group blamed for last year's Bali bombings that claimed 202 lives and the Marriott blast -- was a visiting lecturer at Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University (UGM).
UGM Rector Sofian Effendi said on Friday that Azahari taught a class on property taxes in 1996. He was seconded from the Malaysian University of Technology (UTM).
"He was invited as an expert on property management. He lectured at UTM," Sofian said.
Embassies have continuously been warning their citizens of potential dangers particularly in view of terrorist acts. On Thursday the Australian embassy's web site informed its citizens that "We continue to receive reports that further attacks are being planned against a variety of targets ..." and that Australians should depart the country.
The manhunt for Azahari flopped in Central Java when police ambushed a blue Peugeot in Semarang on Monday, based on an SMS sent from a Bandung-based cellphone number, only to find that Azahari was not inside the car. The driver was released for having no evidence to link him with the fugitive.
Police have named 12 possible targets in the city. Apart from the Marriott Hotel and Kem Chicks, others are Citibank Landmark in Setiabudi, South Jakarta; Citibank in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta; the Caltex office in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta; expatriate residential areas, Hero shopping center in Kemang, South Jakarta; and international schools, including the Jakarta International School and Australian International School, based on a note found at Azahari's rented room on Jl. Kebon Kembang, Bandung.
Some of the targets were also mentioned on a piece of paper found at a rented house on Jl. Kemuning, Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, where the alleged terrorists rigged up the car bomb that exploded at the Marriott's driveway.
Jakarta police chief Makbul called on Jakartans to help monitor boarding houses and rented houses citywide as "they (terrorist suspects) prefer to use boarding houses as their favorite hiding places".