Students and employees stay at home

JAKARTA (JP): A number of schools, mainly in Central Jakarta, remained shut yesterday following the weekend riots, to avoid risk to students, while some offices and shops closed early.

The privately-owned Kanisius, Theresia and Ursula Catholic state-owned junior high school SMP 68, near the PDI headquarters, schools were among those closed. Pupils rejoiced at the unexpected holiday.

Some employees of companies housed in razed buildings turned up to stare at their former workplaces while many others kept away.

City employees were seen cleaning up remains of ruins, which also included smashed public telephones.

Meanwhile police officers checked identity cards of people around terminals and shopping centers. Taxi drivers around Blok M in South Jakarta were among those subject to the security measures.

A stall owner near Jl. Diponegoro told her son, a junior high school student in Salemba, to return home as quickly as possible after lessons.

Students of the Fransiskus junior high school on Jl. Kramat Raya, Central Jakarta, were sent home indefinitely.

Students from the Marsudi Rini junior and senior high school on Jl. Matraman Raya, East Jakarta, also said they were dismissed for security reasons.

The reduced activities were marked by less congestion in the area.

"This is better than usual, there are no traffic jams along the streets. It feels like Idul Fitri (the Moslem holy festival)," Dani, an executive who works on Jl. Thamrin, said.

Similar conditions were noticeable on Jl. Jatinegara, Matraman and Salemba, which are normally among the city's busiest streets.

The main traffic jam was on Jl. Sudirman as workers in several buildings were left standing on the sidewalks after bomb threats. Drivers slowed to watch what was happening.

Several employees of the state-owned telecommunications company, PT Telkom and PT Telkomsel, about 300 meters from the sealed headquarters of the Indonesian Democratic Party on Jl. Diponegoro, called in saying they would be absent.

Little activity were seen at the building which was partially razed over the weekend.

"Employees called us saying they are afraid there will be another riot. Some of them are not allowed to come to the office by their parents," a manager of the company on Jl. Penataran told The Jakarta Post.

Customers, who normally pack the building, were rare yesterday.

A total of 25 cars and many documents were burned in the building's grounds.

The bomb rumors also discouraged employees in business areas.

"My friends are afraid there will a bomb in the building, and they were asked to leave the office earlier," Shinta, an employee who works at the Price Waterhouse building, said.

She added that some of them just wanted to get home early to avoid further possible riots.

Many stores, especially along Jl. Jatinegara, Matraman and Salemba, were closed. Others in the Tomang area closed at 4 p.m instead of their usual 10 p.m.

However it was business as usual in the downtown area, which was also under guard as were other parts of the city.

The municipality is still listing damage following the riots, especially the public facilities such as parks and fences.

"The administration will replace the facilities as soon as possible and we will finance it," Governor Surjadi Soedirja said.

The Central Jakarta mayoralty totaled 34 destroyed buildings, 134 vehicles, seven motorcycles and many green areas, public phones and traffic lights.

The Governor also urged Jakartans to be calm and not to be provoked by rumors.

Central Jakarta mayor Abdul Kahfi said a number of banks in Salemba have been robbed. (team)