Daddy’s Death Encounter at Ritz Carlton, Jakarta

Daddy was on a one-week business trip in Jakarta, staying at the Ritz Carlton where the terrorist bomb attacks took place. I thank God that He has protected Daddy from harm and that Daddy was able to come home safely. Here is Daddy’s encounter:

It was an ordinary Friday morning on July 17, 2009, at the Ritz Carlton Jakarta where Daddy was having breakfast alone at the Air Langga. Unlike his previous trips where he usually tow his luggage along for breakfast so that he can check out directly after, Daddy had decided to leave his luggage back in the room this time round and pick it up after breakfast since he had some extra time. This 10 minutes was all that made a difference between life and death on this fateful day.

At about 7.35 am Jakarta time, Daddy left the breakfast area for his room on the 20th floor. At around 7.45, he heard a loud explosion coming from the streets below. The explosion was so powerful that he could feel the building shake. Daddy brushed off the noise as being some demolition work carried out at a nearby construction site. However, following the explosion, there were sirens going off and a lot of commotion going on in the streets below. Out of curiosity, Daddy looked out towards the Marriott hotel across the road and saw smoke coming out of the building and people scrambling. As he was rushing for time, Daddy did not think much about it but went about checking the room for items that he may have forgotten to pack.

Two minutes later, another explosion rocked the building, but this time, Daddy was not sure where the explosion came from, though he could sense it was very near. Thoughts of terrorist attacks did come to his mind, but Daddy brushed them aside because to him, this Kuningan area where the Ritz is located is a relatively safe place as security is even tighter than other areas because of the large number of foreigners frequenting the area. Moreover, the Ritz has got security checks on incoming cars and visitors and armed security forces at the entrance of the hotel. Anyway, as he was due to be picked up by the company’s driver at 8.00 am, Daddy left the room without further thoughts.

When Daddy stepped out of the lift with another 2 hotel residents, they were totally shocked and confused. What greeted them at the lobby was smoke billowing from the restaurant area, broken and shattered glass all over the floor and a fire alarm in the background. There was nobody at the lobby area to tell them what was happening and what they should do – one thing they did figure out…. the second explosion came from within the Ritz itself.

Within the split second, two options came to Daddy’s mind – 1. Dash 100 metres down the vehicle ramp to a nearby field, and risk being hit by scattering debris if there was a second explosion. 2. Head back up to the room and wait for rescue, and risk fire hazards and chances of the building collapse if there was a second explosion. Eventually, Daddy took the 1st option and sprinted 100 metres to the nearby field to safety.

There were already many people gathered at the field, including bystanders who have stopped to look at what happened. Some of the residents were in the state of shock; others who were injured were helped by bystanders. There was confusion as to what happened. Just then, the company driver, Mr Denden located Daddy, and briefly told him that the Ritz had been bombed. Both of them hurried towards the car, and drove off from the scene.

In the car, Mr Denden shared that he was waiting at the lobby at around 7.45 when the explosion took place in the Air Langga. The explosion was so powerful that he was thrown off his balance. Daddy really thanks God that Mr Denden was not hurt in the incident. In fact, Daddy truly grateful that despite Mr Denden’s own shocking encounter, Mr Denden was still very professional to have searched for him frantically amongst the crowd gathered at the field, just to make sure that Daddy is ok.

Within the next one hour, many calls keep coming in from Daddy’s close friends and colleagues who had learnt about the news and were concerned about his well being. Daddy is truly grateful to these friends and colleagues who had showered much concern during this period of time.

Evening news and papers review that the 2 bombs were the result of suicide bombers detonating themselves in the restaurants. Daddy is a little disturbed by the state of the restaurant and the pictures of the injured, some of whom are waiters/waitresses that he had seen at breakfast time as it reminded him of the encounter that was a little too close for comfort.

However, there were a few things that we can all learn from this incident:

1. Security can never be taken for granted and such incidents can take place anywhere around the world, including Singapore. All security checks though bothersome are necessary and the public must play a part by being alert to their surroundings.
2. There are people in the world who can be extreme and radical in their thinking. This makes them extremely dangerous, as they would not think twice to sacrifice their lives and those of others for a cause that they believe in.
3. It is a reminder that our God is a sovereign God. All that we own including our lives are in His hands. As such, we should be focus on His purposes and learn to make our days count for Him, because we never know what would happen the very next moment.
4. Though there is much evil in this world, we do not need to live in fear of these evil ones, because we know our Sovereign God watches, guards and protects us, His flock.

Finally, Daddy and I would like to pray for all those who have been injured in the incident that God grant them a speedy recovery. We would also like to pray for those who have lost someone in the incident that God would comfort them and our hearts are with them in this time of grieving.