A Few Cents Phone Call Cause Gadong Thousands Of Dollars
By M K Anwar

Bandar Seri Begawan - Once again the capital was taken by surprise on Thursday by another bomb hoax that targeted the highly commercialized busy Gadong. It is still unclear who made the 'bomb scare' call and what his or her motives were.

This is not the first time such threats were made. There have been a series of so-called 'Anthrax' hoaxes in the city. Law enforcers declined to comment whether these hoax calls were related. They said it is still under investigation.

Meanwhile commercial interests in Gadong were visibly irked as the result of these scare tactics by irresponsible elements.

The Gadong area was affected for five hours and for business owners it was a very expensive time frame because of Thursday's hoax call.

A manager of a restaurant affected said that during the five-hour period, his business had lost about $3000. "Everything was in the red that day," he said.

"We lost thousands but the stupid caller only lost a few cents making that irresponsible phone call," said another manager.

Tens of thousands dollars are said to have been lost in the 5-hour ordeal by several trading outlets in the area.

Not only were the businesses at the Centrepoint building affected, those surrounding it were also hit. When the news spread about the bomb threat, people were reluctant to come to the vicinity.

The Centrepoint building holds various commercial businesses including supermarkets, music stores cafes and restaurants and a bank.

"It is very sickening and frustrating", said Ida, a UBD student who at the time was at a restaurant when there were ushered outside to safety. Some even covered their nose and mouth during the evacuation of the building thinking that it was something to do with the disease SARS.

It was not only the locals that were affected during the bomb scare, but tourists too who were staying there when the threat came. To ensure comfort and safety of their customers, the Centrepoint Hotel had to relocate them to Plaza Abdul Razak.

According to sources, the call was reportedly made to the Fire Services Department hotline number around 4.30pm Thursday afternoon claiming a bomb was left in a building near the Centrepoint Hotel. It was then that the police were informed and the Centrepoint building was completely evacuated before 5 pm.

The Thursday bomb hoax brings to a total of 9 hoax calls made which invariably caused panic in recent months. It was the third time that targeted the Centrepoint.

Anyone who makes a hoax telephone call to create public unrest or panic can be jailed for up to five years or fined $100,000 or both, if convicted police said. (Courtesy Of Borneo Bulletin)

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