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Singaporeans in Jakarta, shaken by attack, stay indoors

SINGAPORE — Some Singaporeans are avoiding going outdoors after the suicide-bombing on Wednesday in Jakarta, even though they are based some distance away from the site of the attack.

Police patrol near the scene of an explosion at a bus station in Kampung Melayu, Jakarta, Indonesia May 25, 2017. Photo: Reuters

Police patrol near the scene of an explosion at a bus station in Kampung Melayu, Jakarta, Indonesia May 25, 2017. Photo: Reuters

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SINGAPORE — Some Singaporeans are avoiding going outdoors after the suicide-bombing on Wednesday in Jakarta, even though they are based some distance away from the site of the attack.

A 22-year-old fresh graduate, who just arrived in East Jakarta the day of the attack, described the palpable panic in the aftermath. She told TODAY that the host of the Airbnb apartment she was staying in had advised her not to venture out.

Miss Shermaine Tan said: “I was just lying in bed and using my phone ... when my host called at about 10pm to tell me that there were bombings. Initially, I couldn’t quite absorb what was going on ... but when I heard how frantic he sounded, I knew something was up ... then when I found out (what had happened), I was shell-shocked.”

She had been in East Jakarta for only about 10 hours when she received the call, having flown in from Bali at noon. That night, two bombs were detonated at a busy bus terminal, leaving three policemen dead and 10 others injured.

While Miss Tan was not within earshot of the blasts, which took place some 1.4km away from her rented apartment, the gravity of the situation became apparent when her neighbours and her host repeatedly reminded her not to leave the property. 

“They were very nice and kept telling me not to go out, to stay indoors ... they are almost as worried about me as my family was back home.”

Ms Kesey Chen, 31, a tutor who has been in North Jakarta for the last three months to look after her grandmother, is being careful as well.

“Even though it’s a public holiday, I’m staying at my grandma’s home because it’s the safest,” she said. The Ascension Day of Jesus Christ, which was celebrated on Thursday, is a public holiday in Indonesia. 

“We don’t know if more districts are going to be bombed ... Better to be safe than sorry,” she added.

The effect of the attack is felt less strongly in South Jakarta, which is 16km away from the bombing. Ms Koh Yee Pin, 32, a sales manager working there, said: “There’s almost no difference … I don’t see policemen on the streets, and my Indonesian friends don’t seem too alarmed as well. I’m just spending my time normally.”

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