Indonesia: Passengers Joking About A Bomb Face Compensation Demand

JAKARTA, April 5 (Bernama) -- Effective Tuesday, airport managements and airline companies in Indonesia have the right to demand for compensation frompassengers who joke about the presence of a bomb while in the airport complex or in an aircraft. On-line media quoted the Director-General of Air Communication of the Ministry of Communication, Agus Santoso as saying that the government allowed airline companies to make compensation demand on those passengers to teach them a lesson against making such jokes. "To make a joke by saying that they were carrying a bomb or any item that would affect airport operations, the airport and airline companies concerned could demand for compensation," he said. He said that bomb hoaxes by airline passengers were on the rise in Indonesia although the authorities had detained several individuals who had made such hoaxes in the past. In March this year, there were two incidents of bomb hoaxes at the Kualanamu Airport, Medan which had caused chaos at the airport and affected all flights. Agus said that as a result of the hoax, airline companies suffered losses as all flights had to be postponed to enable a comprehensive investigation to be made by the authorities. -- BERNAMA