East Kalimantan Police vows to protect U.S. citizens, assets
Tuesday, October 9 2001 - 01:14 AM WIB
The East Kalimantan Police has intensified security measures to safeguard some 300 U.S. citizens in the province and to protect foreign-related assets following the U.S.-led strike against Afghanistan late on Sunday.
?We don?t want them to suffer difficulties while staying here,? the local Metro Balikpapan daily quoted East Kalimantan Police Chief SY Wenas as saying.
He also warned the local people not to conduct ?sweeping? against the foreign citizens.
Radical groups in Indonesia had earlier threatened to expel U.S. citizens and attack the country?s interests here if the U.S. government proceeded with its plans to strike Afghanistan, the hiding place of Osama bin Laden, the chief suspect of last month?s terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.(*)