Travel mart cut short amid unrest

JAKARTA (JP): The Tourism Indonesia Mart & Expo (TIME) 1999 closed one day ahead of schedule on Friday due to fears escalating antigovernment protests would disrupt the annual event.

"The early closing is the best decision in the interest of participants, especially the buyers," the committee's chairwoman Meity Robot said.

She said none of the participants pulled out of the event despite mass student demonstrations during the last two days.

Five buyers cancelled their participation before the event opened on Tuesday but it was because of personal reasons, she added.

The demonstrations, the largest antigovernment rallies in the capital since May 1998, paralyzed several main streets on Thursday and Friday. Students and members of the public protested the newly approved security law.

Dozens were injured and there were reportedly three fatalities, including a policeman, during the clashes.

TIME participants still have several scheduled activities on their itinerary, Meity said, including traveling to tourist sites outside Java.

Susilowati Daud of the event organizer Pacto Convex said the premature closing would likely cause a slight decrease from the targeted transaction value concluded by the buyers and sellers this year.

"Transactions recorded as of 3 p.m. on Friday were US$8.1 million. I think we'll end up about 5 percent higher, not 10 percent as we targeted previously, than last year's total transaction of $8.7 million."

She added that the organizer estimated Rp 100 million net profit from this year's event, an amount which would be divided evenly between Pacto and the Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board (BPPI).

Susilowati said 121 buyers from 29 foreign countries and 163 sellers from 17 provinces participated in TIME 1999, compared to 120 buyers from 25 countries and 144 sellers from 19 provinces in last year's event.

BPPI has scheduled TIME 2000 for Sept. 8 to Sept. 13. (cst)