Bombs Hit Two Hotels in Jakarta

[PigDogg]

Bombs exploded at the Ritz-Carlton and Marriott hotels in the Indonesian capital, ripping the facade off the Ritz. Police say at least four people were killed.

Debris and shattered glass littered the street outside the neighboring hotels in an upscale Jakarta neighborhood. Ambulances
were being shuttled into the area.

The Marriott hotel was attacked in 2003, when 12 died. Southeast
Asian terror network Jemaah Islamiyah was blamed in that blast.

[Tralala777]

Phew! I was there three weeks ago........it always feels like something could kick off at any time in J-Town.

Dugem,as they say....World of Darkest of Nights......

[jman]

I also was there in June...travel there often. But always stay at the Hyatt. Never been to the JW but been to the club in the Ritz (Mystere) many times...ugh, these are the stories I hate reading about....

[Tralala777]

If the bombers had wanted to wipe out loads of westerners,then Blok M bars such as Top Gun and Ds Place would have seen a higher body count.That would have included tons of Indo girls too though,and wouldn't have the "high value" reverberations as taking out an international US-based chain of top-end hotels. The Marriot brand seems to be hit more than most.

Similarly,Kem Chicks supermarket in Kemang is always awash with westerners,but its Indo owned..... Indonesians cant afford to shop at supermarkets,as most have no refrigerators,and go to the pasars (markets) daily....but again,it's got no international associations.

The only hi-end hotel I've ever stayed at in Jakarta is the Ambhara.A cup of coffee there costs more than most Indonesians earn in a day.Resentment exists for sure,but this doesn't translate to open hostility.

Having said that though,I've never had any problems with Indonesians.The further out of Jakarta you get,the warmer the welcome.Some towns have never seen a western visitor,and they seem more confused than anything else if you swing by their locality.

There isn't a tourist trade in Jakarta anyway,but news like this will deter people from visiting for sure. Exactly the opposite of what Indonesia needs.

[seamus]

(Tralala777 @ Jul. 17 2009,20:45) There isn't a tourist trade in Jakarta anyway,but news like this will deter people from visiting for sure. Exactly the opposite of what Indonesia needs.

Yep, I agree, Bali had just started to recover from the Bombings when a arak poisoning happen a few months back, this will set it back even further. I feel sorry for the Indonesians, cause as you say ,they are lovely people on a whole