Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said Saturday that security conditions in the capital had returned to normal following the twin bombings of the luxury Marriot and Ritz-Carlton hotels.
“I acknowledge that activities in shopping malls have returned to their previous condition. Even in Kemang, where most expatriates in Jakarta live, activities and the situation there also seem normal,” he was quoted as saying by detik.com.
Fauzi added that the number of foreign visitors to Jakarta had not been affected by the bombs.
“I am glad that both Indonesians and foreigners in Jakarta have not let fear prevent them from doing their activities,” he said.
Signifying the ‘back to normal’ status, Fauzi closed the Jakarta Media Crisis Center, the temporary information center used to provide information about the bomb attacks.
“All police officers and city officials will be out of this media center today,” said Fauzi.
Fauzi also said that he would soon give renovation permits to the managements of Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels. “I hope the management will renovate their buildings as soon as possible,” he said.
Meanwhile National Police chief spokesman, Insp. Gen. Nanan Soekarna, told detik.com that information regarding the investigations would be handled by National Police headquarters as of Monday.
“The police had earlier planned to lift the police line in the two hotels Saturday, but later postponed it as a re-enactment of the attacks will be held Monday,” said Nanan.
Meanwhile in Makassar, South Sulawesi, the police detained a man identified as MA alias TH at his rented house on Jl. Pengayoman early Saturday morning over suspicion that he might be involved in a terrorist network.
The arrest was made following reports from the local community who suspected him to be Noordin M. Top, a Malaysian terrorist that is allegedly behind a string of bombings across Indonesia.
The police seized a number of documents including nine credit cards, four ATM cards, three cellular phones, two passports, a laptop and five identity cards bearing different names, birthplaces, birthdates and occupancies that had the same photograph.
East Makassar Police chief Adj. Sen. Comr. Mansyur said that MA admitted to having committed cyber crimes by defrauding banks through the Internet and so far had collected Rp 100 million (US$10,000).
Separately in Bantul, Yogyakarta, a joint team comprising of personnel from the Yogyakarta and Bantul Police conducted a raid against hundreds of participants of a scientific study forum from the Ahlussunnah wal Jama’ah Islamic group held over the weekend at Agung Manunggal Mosque.
“The raid was conducted to avoid the unexpected, including infiltration from irresponsible parties,” said chief Adj. Sr. Comr Stephen M. Napiun from the Bantul Police.
He added that although the event’s organizing committee had official permits from the national and regional police as well as the regency administration, such raids were necessary as precautionary measures.
Previously, the 88th Anti-Terror Special Detachment combed the Kumendaman area in downtown Yogyakarta for Bahrudin or Bahridin, believed to be Noordin’s father-in-law. (mrs)
Andi Hajramurni and Slamet Susanto contributed to this article from Makassar and Yogyakarta
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