UPDATE: Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta bombed
Originally published on www.businesstraveller.asia 17/07/2009 - Filed under: News » News » News Archive »
Suspected bombers of the JW Marriott and its sister property, the Ritz-Carlton in Jakarta were believed to have been staying in the Marriott, city police officials now say. "They were disguised as guests and stayed in room 1808," Jakarta's police chief, Major General Wahyono, revealed in an Associated Press report.
The latest casualty count is eight killed and 50 wounded including 18 foreigners. This is a revision of an earlier figure of nine fatalities, supplied by the security minister.
The first blast in the Indonesian capital occurred at 0740am local time at the Airlangga restaurant of Ritz-Carlton and the second blast took place in the JW Marriott. Debris and shattered glass littered the streets around the hotels which are located in the Mega Kuningan, one of Jakarta’s most high-profile CBDs.
A statement on the blog of Marriott CEO Bill Marriott said: "At approximately 7:48 a.m. local time, explosions occurred at the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia. Our deepest sympathies go out to the victims and their families of this tragic incident. Police responded immediately and sealed off the area. Guests at both hotels have been evacuated. The guests have been moved to a secure location. We are monitoring the situation and are working closely with the authorities. As always, the safety and security of our guests and associates is a high priority."
The Marriott chain is no stranger to terrorist attacks. This same JW Marriott property in Jakarta suffered a bomb explosion in 2003 where 12 were killed and scores injured. The incident was attributed to the Southeast terrorist network Jemaah Islamiya.
In 2008, the Marriott Islamabad was gutted entirely by a truck packed with 600kg of explosives.
The Australian foreign ministry has issued a travel advisory to its nationals, urging them to avoid unnecessary trips to Indonesia.
Margie T Logarta
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