Quiet Batu finds itself in eye of storm

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Batu, East Java

The hideout of Azahari bin Husin, a bombmaker who had a key role in the deadliest terrorist attacks in Southeast Asia, is located in the quiet Flamboyan housing complex.

It is located in the mountainous area of Panderman, some 25 kilometers east of Malang, East Java. Eight hundred meters above sea level, the weather here is mild and even cold after nightfall.

The complex is adjacent to Songgoriti hot springs and resort and Banyak hill, a starting point for paragliding, making it a tourism location, where people come and go.

"People do not take an interest in each other's business, making it an isolated place," said Burhanudin, a retired textile company worker who has lived in the complex for 25 years.

As community meetings are rare, the complex is an ideal place for retreat, or concealment as was the case with Azahari.

Handri Kartiono, 37, and Dewi Ambarwati, 27, had no misgivings about renting a house in the complex, which is located a few kilometers away from downtown Batu.

"It used to be safe here. Nothing untoward happened, so we were happy," said Dewi.

The married couple once lived in the house rented by Dr. Azahari and his gang, but they chose to move to their current residence last year. Dewi said the move had been due to the ditch next to the house overflowing during the rainy season.

Dewi, who has one child, said the neighborhood was not close- knit as many house owners lived elsewhere, using their houses on weekends or renting them out to other people.

Given the nature of the community, suspicion is not aroused by the newcomers, said Dewi.

There is only route into the complex of some 250 houses. The housing complex was earlier allocated for the employees of textile company PT Wastra Indah, which is a subsidiary of giant textile company PT Texmaco. The housing complex was built in 1985, the first of its kind in Batu.

The company had been struggling in recent years, leading to massive layoffs. After which the employees sold their houses to third parties, said Burhanudin.

The house rented by Azahari, which was owned by Supomo, is well situated. Located on a street corner, it has two main rooms and another smaller room in the back. From the house, which was rented for Rp 3 million (US$300) a month, it is easy to observe the movements of people outside.

With the raid on the house, which resulted in the death of Azahari, Burhanuddin stressed the importance of community awareness.

Batu itself began to develop in the early 19th century. As the climate is cool, Dutch colonials resided or built villas in the town, calling it De Klein Switzerland (Small Switzerland).

According to government data, in December 2003, Batu had a population of 166,882 (or 43,336 families).