Ten people killed in JSX blast

Ten people killed in JSX blast

JAKARTA (JP): A powerful blast rocked the Jakarta Stock
Exchange (JSX) building here on Wednesday afternoon, killing at
least 10 people and injuring dozens.

The dead, mostly drivers, were brought up one-by-one about
four hours after the 3:17 p.m. blast by a joint search and rescue
team from the smoke-filled second tier of the underground parking
lot of the 34-story skyscraper.

Almost no wounds were to be found on the dead, who were rushed
to Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital and the Pertamina Hospital
after the evening evacuation.

Medical sources at the hospital said two of the bodies were
badly charred, while three died from suffocation with the
remaining five falling victim to smoke inhalation.

Police last night said that the fatalities could reach to 15.

Some of the more than 30 injured in the blast have been
allowed to leave the nearby Pertamina Hospital while the others
have had to be hospitalized overnight for burns.

None of the floor traders or JSX officials were injured. But
trading was suspended 12 minutes after the explosion. Usually,
JSX trading closes at 4 p.m.

"The trading equipment is safe and has been evacuated to a
safer place. All transactions are safe. The validity of
transactions during the second session (on Wednesday) will be
announced on Thursday," stated a release from the JSX which was
made available to The Jakarta Post in the evening.

The release added that the trading would be closed on Thursday
and resume on Monday at the latest, depending on police approval.

Most of the cars parked in the P2 underground parking lot, the
lowest level of the building, were totally incinerated by the
fire caused by the blast.

Police have yet to determine the type of explosive but said
that it was a car bomb.

Jakarta Police spokesman Supt. Nur Usman said the blast came
from powerful explosives placed inside a car parked in the P2
parking lot.

"The power of the blast must be at least half that of the
explosion that went off (on Aug. 1) in front of the residence of
the Philippine ambassador (in Central Jakarta)," Usman stated.

A police source said last night that the car was of Toyota
Kijang van. "Before the explosion, somebody saw flames emerging
from the vehicle," the source said.

City Police chief of operational control, Sr. Supt. Nono
Suprijono, said one man has been detained for questioning.

He gave no further explanation but many said the man was seen
fleeing from the site shortly after the blast and was caught by
the building's security guards later.

Judging from the absence of wounds on the dead bodies, South
Jakarta Police chief Sr. Supt. Edward Aritonang said midnight
Wednesday that his detectives would start a thorough
investigation of the blast on Thursday.

"We want to find out whether this blast was caused by human
hands or by an electrical problem," he said.

Located in the vast Central Business District and close to
Jakarta Police headquarters in South Jakarta, the JSX building
has become a landmark in the capital. It houses, among others,
the World Bank, oil firms, airliner Cathay Pacific and major
stockbroking companies.

The blast which took place while hundreds of people still
working at the building left many of them in shock.

The evacuation ran smoothly with many of evacuees using the
lifts. Some employees said that the electricity supply had been
turned on and off at least eight times the day before the blast.

Trading on the JSX was suspended with the index closing at
442.091 points, about two percent lower than the previous day.

Prominent market analyst Lin Che Wei described the bombing as
another blow to Indonesia's high risk country rating.

"I can only urge investors to remain cool headed and refrain
from panic selling," Lin told The Jakarta Post.

However, he noted that the market might have already taken
account of the "cristal clear link" behind the bombing, namely an
attempt to pressure the government during the hearing of former
president Soeharto's graft case.

The second session of the trial of Soeharto's alleged
corruption case is scheduled to be held on Thursday. A day prior
to the initial hearing two weeks ago, a strong blast went off in
an empty minibus near the Ministry of Agriculture, which has been
converted to the venue for the hearing.

A few hours after the blast at the JSX, National Police chief.
Gen. Rusdihardjo and senior city officials said that the
explosion "could be part of a terror campaign (against the
government) prior to the (second) hearing of Soeharto's
corruption case."

"It could be a terrorist act because the way it went off was
similar to other bombs that exploded moments before or after the
former president's investigation and trial," Rusdihardjo said
after a meeting with ministers under the coordination of the
Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The evacuation of the dead, which lasted until midnight and
which was carried out by personnel from the marines, bomb squad
and fire fighters, faced several problems as water started to
flood the P2 parking lot.

As of midnight, police and medical sources at the Pertamina
and Cipto hospitals had identified eight of the victims, aged
between 27 and 55, as Nawawi from Cikini, Munawir from Ciputat,
Kokong Jaya from Ciputat, Widodo Chandra from Ciputat, Robiman
from Ciledug, Irmansyah, computer shop owner Marsidi and JSX
security guard Husni.

Rusdihardjo apologized for the National Police's inability to
solve the bombings, arrest the perpetrators and identify the
parties that were behind the actions.

"I must express our regret at having no arrests in connection
with the bombings," he said, adding the Police would continue
their investigations. (jaw/rms/bkm/ylt/07)