Public places beef up security after warnings

Public places beef up security after warnings

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,
which is 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.

Earlier Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara
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 was a
lecturer at UTM. I assumed he was not involved yet in terrorist
activities at that time," 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 consider departing 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.

Central Java Police Chief Insp. Gen. Didi Widayadi said that
police had questioned the car's driver and released him for
"having no evidence to link him with the fugitive".

Police have named 12 possible targets in the city: the JW
Marriott Hotel in South Jakarta; 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 and Kem Chicks all 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".