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| Published in Washington, D.C. August 11, 2003 |
Jakarta may see more hits by terror
Jemaah Islamiyah is prime suspect
By Richard S. Ehrlich
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
JAKARTA, Indonesia
Anti-American terrorists enjoy a target-rich environment in Jakarta, where U.S. and Indonesian officials say the Islamist group suspected in Tuesday's attack outside the J.W. Marriott Hotel is likely to strike again.
"We Speak American Express," beams a large sign greeting passengers in the arrival hall of Jakarta's international airport.
Neon signs, Web sites and TV advertisements in the capital promote U.S. corporations such as Exxon Mobil, McDonald's, Nike, Monsanto and others.
The Marriott bomb's death toll reached 11 yesterday, with 150 injured.
A State Department warning issued after the bomb focused suspicion on Jemaah Islamiyah, the same group blamed for last year's attack in Bali that killed 202.
Jemaah Islamiyah "is an extremist group known to have cells operating in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, and is known to have connections with al Qaeda," the State Department warning said.
"The U.S. government believes extremist elements may be planning additional attacks targeting U.S. interests in Indonesia, particularly U.S. government officials and facilities."
Indonesian Defense Minister Matori Abdul Djalil issued a similar warning over the weekend, saying he was "sure" members of Jemaah Islamiyah were behind the Marriott bombing and that "there are many more members on the loose in Indonesia."
The State Department warning said the terrorists "will seek softer targets" as security is increased at official U.S. facilities.
"These may include facilities where Americans and Westerners are known to live, congregate, shop, or visit, especially hotels, clubs, restaurants, shopping centers, housing compounds, transportation systems, places of worship, schools, or outdoor recreation events," it said.
The job of protecting these soft American targets is expected to be expensive and difficult in a country where easy access to U.S. establishments, goods and services has always been seen as a sign of prosperity and sophistication.
Even after last week's bomb, the Marriott's Web site continued to promote its ideal location close to such companies as Procter & Gamble, General Electric and Motorola -- with distances provided.
Other U.S. companies have offices in Jakarta engaged in a wide range of fields including financial services, petroleum, wholesale and retail products, agriculture, automobiles, food, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and tourism.
Amway, Avon, Bristol Meyers-Squibb and Disney sell popular household items.
Arco, Caltex, Exxon Mobil and other corporations are eager to extract or process Indonesia's bountiful oil and natural gas.
Bechtel helps with construction. Dow Chemical and Du Pont trade their products. Bank of America, Citibank and Chase Manhattan are ready for financial transactions.
Chrysler and General Motors keeps things rolling, while Coca Cola and Gatorade make sure Indonesians are refreshed.
U.S. companies also have joint ventures, representative offices, distributorships and other arrangements that rely on Indonesian partners.
The security challenge posed by Indonesia is magnified by the size and scope of the country -- an archipelago of about 3,000 islands spanning a distance greater than from New York to San Francisco.
Its land mass is about three times the size of Texas while its population of 230 million is close to that of the United States.
The United States meanwhile disclosed it was inspecting the readiness of airports in major cities around the world to defend against attacks with portable missiles.
The British Broadcasting Corp. last week quoted Gen. John Handy, head of the U.S. Transportation Command, saying such an attack posed "perhaps the greatest [threat] of all in the modern-day fight against global terrorism."
Aviation-safety investigators began visits several weeks ago to Athens, Istanbul, Manila and other foreign cities visited by American airlines, the BBC added.
The report did not say whether Jakarta's airport was on the list.
A U.S. congressional report pointed to great quantities of portable surface-to-air missiles probably available on the international black market for purchase by terrorists and criminal syndicates, starting around 5,000 U.S. dollars each, the BBC said.