Saturday August 8th 2009
Last month two bomb blasts ripped open Jakarta's luxurious Marriot and Ritz-Carlton hotels, favoured by foreign tourists - a third, unexploded, bomb was discovered by Indonesian police. Seven people died and as many as 50 were wounded in the attack which has been blamed on the militant Jamaah Islamiah group, believed to be responsible for a series of similar bombings including the infamous Bali bombings of 2002, which killed more than 200 people. Freelance journalist Angela Dewan describes how the lax security and laid-back staff she sees every day in Jakarta are not helping to prevent acts of terrorism Saturday August 8th 2009 Poor security allowed people to mingle close to the scene of last week's bomb blast at the Ritz-Carlton, which could have resulted in more carnage had a follow-up bomb gone off. Photograph: Angela Derwan I was still in bed at 8:30am on Friday 17 July when a colleague's SMS arrived: "Bombings at the Ritz and Marriott in Kuningan. Five dead." I've worked in Jakarta for 18 months, and before this I had never felt in any danger. The bombs went off around 10 minutes apart, killing at least seven and injuring around 50. Three Australians and a New Zealand national were confirmed dead. Somehow I knew that this day was coming; there was just something in the ether. It had been four years since the bombing of the Australian embassy, and the period of peace since then was almost too good to last. While the death toll slowly crept up, I jumped out of bed and headed to the site. The area had been taped off, so my ojek (motorcycle taxi) could not pass. However, I could walk right up to the Ritz-Carlton without even having to show anyone my press card, and took some photos of the wrecked façade and shattered windows that exposed the chairs and tables of the plush Airlangga restaurant, where guests just two hours before were enjoying their breakfast. The Mega Kuningan area, where both the bombings took place, was packed with local and foreign journalists, onlookers, the military, police and paramedics - the perfect opportunity for a follow-up bombing. The lax security that led to this disaster had clearly not been stepped up. The bombers had stayed overnight in the JW Marriott hotel, where they are believed to have assembled the bombs. Though the bombers' bags set off the metal detector, one simply told the security guard that he was carrying a laptop, which was enough to get all the bombers through without inspection of their luggage. Later in the day, another bomb was found sitting in the room on the 18th floor. Masses of people had congregated outside the hotel as it waited to detonate - thankfully, it was found and defused. I headed to my newsroom in the Plaza Semanggi shopping centre, just a five-minute drive from the bombsite. Despite rumours, spread via SMS and television, of eight bombs being hidden in other hotels and shopping centres, the security guard at Plaza Semanggi merely smiled at me as I stepped into the building, instead of checking my bag - the sole task he is employed to carry out. I have to go past a guard every day to go to work. To avoid the inevitable bag-check, I've found that walking fast, looking busy and avoiding eye contact is a sure and easy way to get through. A colleague of mine entered the mall through a different entrance, one equipped with a metal detector. The protocol is to hand your bag to the guard as you walk through the metal frame. Instead of looking in the handbag, the guard followed the daily routine, passing it around the frame back to my colleague. The metal detector sounded, but the guard let her in anyway with a: "Have a nice day, Mrs." Perhaps this guard, like many, is more trusting of women. But the revelation that one of the three suicide bombers might have been of the gender less suspected should help remind guards that women, too, have been involved in such acts. Once a bomber has figured out the system, it is not hard to beat. The Ritz-Carlton and the JW Marriott are both renowned for their security. Cars are not allowed to drive up to the lobby at the JW Marriott, while at the Ritz-Carlton, the guards check cars for bombs. They run a mirror underneath the vehicle, ask passengers to open the doors, give the back seat a once over, and inspect the boot and glove box. But on occasion, the guards will skip one part of the check, and it is not uncommon to find a sniffer dog asleep by a guard's feet. Although Jakarta's attitude to security is partly to blame, some say this tragic event was unpreventable. Sidney Jones of the International Crisis Group told the ABC that the operations would have taken months of preparation. At the end of the day, there may be some truth to the old saying: "Where there's a will, there's a way." The Jakarta bombers are testament to that. . Angela Dewan is a Jakarta-based freelance journalist who has worked at the Jakarta Post and the Jakarta Globe daily newspapers. She writes on politics and social issues. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
