Tourism has recovered 100 pct after Jakarta bombing - Indonesian Minister

Indonesian Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said tourism has returned to normal and recovered 100 per cent after the terror acts and bomb explosions in Thamrin Boulevard in Central Jakarta on Thursday, Antara news agency reported.

He said that Jakarta, particularly the area around Thamrin Boulevard, has returned to normal after it was rocked by the Jan 14 suicide bombing and shootouts between police and terrorists.

READ: Jakarta attacks: All you need to know

Many people even thronged the bomb explosion site of the police station to take their profile pictures, he said.

During the car-free day on Sundays in the Thamrin Boulevard, residents usually gathered at the HI Traffic Circle, National Monument Square and Senayan.

But on Sunday, they changed their points of gathering and the police station at the intersection where the suicide bombing occurred became their favorite point of assembling.

According to the minister, Jakarta residents were clearly not afraid, so the security condition has returned to normal.

"Residents can act personally to report the facts and real condition in the Internet through their twitter accounts, facebook, instagram, path, pinterest and others," he said.

On Thursday, two terrorists launched suicide attacks on a police station in Thamrin Boulevard near the Sarinah Department Store, which was followed by a shoot-out between three other terrorists and the police at the Starbucks Coffee shop adjacent to the department store, Antara said.

Within hours, the police were able to thwart the attackers, shot dead three of them while two others died in the suicidal bombing. The incident also left three civilians dead (one died at a hospital three days later) and 32 injured, including police personnel.

Jakarta Metropolitan Police Command Chief Inspector General Tito Karnavian has confirmed that the terrorists who orchestrated the attack were linked to the Daesh terror group.

"Our team is now on the lookout for members of this terror network who are linked to the ISIS (Daesh)group in Raqqa," he stated during a press conference held at the presidential office following a meeting led by the president on the incident on Thursday evening.