Media said six bombs went off and a Reuters witness saw three dead people and a gunfight going on. One blast was in a Starbucks cafe and security forces were later seen entering the building.

Police said they suspected a suicide bomber was responsible for at least one of the blasts and up to 14 militant gunmen were involved in the attack, Metro TV reported.

“The Starbucks cafe windows are blown out. I see three deadpeople on the road. There has been a lull in the shooting butsomeone is on the roof of the building and police are aimingtheir guns at him,” said a Reuters photographer.

Indonesia has been on edge in recent weeks over the threatposed by Islamist militants and counter-terrorism police havelaunched a crackdown on people with suspected links to Islamic State.

“We have previously received a threat from Islamic Statethat Indonesia will be the spotlight,” police spokesman AntonCharliyan told reporters. But he said police did not know whowas resposible.

He said three policemen and three civilians had been killed.

“I saw a police officer shot right in front of me,” onewitness told TV One.

One explosion went off in front of a shopping centre calledthe Sarinah mall, on a main avenue. Media said a police postoutside the mall was blown up.

Police snipers were deployed among hundreds of othersecurity officers.

A U.N. building near the scene was in lock-down with no oneallowed in or out, a witness said. Some other high-risebuildings in the area were evacuated.

Indonesia’s central bank is located in the same area, and aspokesman for the bank said a policy meeting was going ahead anda decision on interest rates would be announced as planned laterin the day.

An explosion was heard in the western suburb of Palmerah,according to a domestic media tweet, but police said they couldnot confirm a blast there.

Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population, thevast majority of whom practise a moderate form of the religion.

The country saw a spate of militant attacks in the 2000s,the deadliest of which was a nightclub bombing on the holidayisland of Bali that killed 202 people, most of them tourists.

Police have been largely successful in destroying domestic militant cells since then, but officials have more recently beenworrying about a resurgence inspired by groups such as IslamicState and Indonesians who return after fighting with the group.

The last major militant attacks in Jakarta were in July 2009, with bombs at the JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton hotels.

– Reuters

The dark period lasted from the 1980s until 2004, when the city’s batik industry entered its revival. Today, after more than 10 years, batik has turned Kauman and Laweyan into popular shopping and tourist destinations.

“Kampung Laweyan tends to serve as an educational tourist spot, where visitors mostly observe the district and learn how to make batik designs,” the chairman of the Kampung Laweyan Development Forum (FPKBL), Alpha Fabela, said.

In the early period of Joko “Jokowi” Widodo serving as Surakarta mayor in 2005, the city administration was actually already developing Laweyan as a batik centre and as a cultural heritage zone.

The 24-hectare zone has various heritage buildings that have a unique blend of Javanese, European, Chinese and Islamic architectural features surrounded by tall fences. Laweyan’s narrow alleys are where the houses of batik makers of the early 20th century can be found.

Therefore, the development of Laweyan as a batik district is directed toward the creation of a home-gallery atmosphere. “The old buildings are revived not only as residences, but also as batik production houses and galleries,” said Surakarta Culture and Tourism Agency chief Eny Tyasni.

Through a tourism package, visitors are taken around to inspect the historic traces of Laweyan’s batik industry from the 1900s. This package includes homestay facilities and practising handmade and printed batik making.

Kampung Laweyan also offers other historic sites, such as the tomb of Kyai Ageng Henis (an ancestor of the Mataram kings), the house of Kyai Ageng Henis and Sutowijoyo (or Panembahan Senopati, founder of the Mataram kingdom) and the house and museum of H Samanhudi, founder of the Islamic Trade Union (SDI).

“We’re conserving 30 historic buildings in Laweyan to support the promotion of heritage tourism. The budget is provided by the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry and the city administration,” revealed Eny.

As a tourism zone, Alpha said the city administration had not yet supplied Laweyan with supporting infrastructure like guideposts, transportation access and parking facilities. “The Batik Solo Trans [BST] route that should pass Kampung Laweyan has no transportation access yet,” he said.

Kauman, the other batik center in Surakarta located not far from the main road, Jl Slamet Riyadi, has maintained the tradition because of the many (royal servant) batik makers of the Keraton Surakarta (Sultanate Palace) living in the district.

While Laweyan produces a lot more modern-styled batik, Kampung Kauman mostly turns out batik with classic motifs based on palace standards by using silk material.

Apart from batik, Kampung Kauman also boasts historic structures such as the (traditional Javanese) mansions, (pyramidal) houses, colonial buildings and Javanese-Dutch architectural constructions.

“Tourism in Kauman is combined with the Laweyan package because both share heritage and batik characteristics. We’ve built city walk facilities for easier access to Kauman,” added Eny.

A batik entrepreneur in Kauman, Gunawan Setiawan, said that through the Association of the Kauman Batik Tourism Village (PKWBK) Kauman residents had been sharing responsibilities with the Surakarta city administration.”The city government takes care of the district’s reordering, while residents create Kauman’s brand as a batik and heritage village,” he indicated. The branding is achieved through batik events like Batik Day and free batik-making workshops for students.

“We’re promoting Kampung Kauman as a religious, historic, educational and tourism spot. Kauman’s proximity to the palace, the Grand Mosque and Pasar Klewer enables it to offer an appealing tourism package,” added Gunawan.

Second on the list was Savannakhet province which reported 657 accidents and 105 fatalities. Third was Champassak province with 575 accidents and 110 fatalities.

In contrast, Xaysomboun province reported just 18 accidents and seven fatalities.

In 2014, there were 5,702 road accidents nationwide in which 10,833 vehicles were damaged, 9,264 people were injured and 1,054 people died.

In 2015, some 9,759 vehicles were damaged, 8,677 people were injured and 995 people were killed.

The main causes of road accidents in 2015 were listed as intoxication, reckless driving and general violation of the traffic rules.

Road accidents continue to kill and maim people across the country, with Vientiane recording the highest number of accidents.

In one recent accident, a Mazda pick-up truck hit an electricity pole in Nalom village, Xaythany district, Vientiane. The pole fell on another pick-up travelling in the opposite direction, killing two people instantly and injuring another two.

The Vientiane Traffic Police Department reported that the driver of the Mazda pick-up was Mr Khamlar, 33, of Khoksivilay village, Xaythany district, while the other vehicle was driven by Mr Phoukhong, 38, of Phakhao village, Xaythany district.

The Mazda overturned several times, killing Mr Khamlar. The six-year-old child of Mr Phoukhong also died while Mr Phoukhong and his wife sustained injures.

The Vientiane Traffic Police Department advises motorists to be aware of the importance of safe driving and safety at all time. Drivers and passengers should always wear a seat belt, while motorcyclists should make sure they are wearing a strong crash helmet.

Driving while drunk is strongly discouraged due to the danger this poses to drivers, their passengers and those around them.

The democracy champion, who led her party to a landslide election victory in November, shared the stage in the capital Nay Pyi Taw with members of the former military junta, which kept her under house arrest for years and persecuted her allies.

Suu Kyi has already shown she is willing to do business with former foes, and, despite a constitutional ban on her becoming president, has also made clear that she intends to lead the country.

Her appearance at peace talks this week attended by the military, members of parliament and some of the armed guerrilla groups waging local insurgencies across Myanmar underlined that sense of pragmatism, experts said.

Until now, Suu Kyi had dismissed the ceasefire agreed last year as a pre-election stunt by outgoing President Thein Sein to win votes in ethnic areas.

“Today’s conference shows how the talks over the political transition and change of government in Myanmar are progressing unexpectedly quickly and smoothly as the parties learn to trust one another,” said Yohei Sasakawa, a peace envoy for Japan who has been involved in the talks for the last three years.

By appearing to endorse Thein Sein’s efforts, Suu Kyi is also signalling to rebel groups to trust her and return to the negotiating table, Sasakawa added.

“I think this has sent a very powerful message toward the groups that have thus far withheld their support for the ceasefire,” he told Reuters.

Thein Sein was on stage with Suu Kyi on Tuesday for the talks, as was army chief Min Aung Hlaing and other leading members of the former junta that ruled the country for 49 years until a semi-civilian government came to power in 2011.

TEST OF MILITARY’S INTENTIONS

In October, Thein Sein’s government signed what it called a nationwide ceasefire agreement, but seven of 15 rebel groups invited to participate declined to sign, including some of the most powerful.

Other groups were not invited to take part or showed little interest in the process.

This week’s five-day meeting attended by hundreds of representatives of guerrilla groups was arranged to advance the peace process.

While ostensibly a conciliatory step towards former enemies, Suu Kyi’s move also carries considerable risks, Western diplomats and political analysts said, because it means she has associated herself with a process she cannot fully control.

Since October, the army has been engaged in an offensive against ethnic rebel groups in the north and the east of the country, displacing thousands of people.

Suu Kyi’s involvement in peace talks will also test how far the military, which maintains considerable influence over Myanmar politics, is willing to submit to civilian control.

Experts and some participants at the talks said Suu Kyi’s appearance is likely to be only the start of her formalengagement, and major breakthroughs in peace talks are unlikely until her government is formed.

Clinching a lasting ceasefire would be a historic feat for Suu Kyi and could help tens of thousands of people displaced by fighting, as well as open up areas of the country where conflict has prevented development since as long ago as World War Two.

It would also bring a more integrated state with a fuller representation of its ethnic nationalities, delegates said.

“In our country, we have many things to negotiate, as there are many key players, such as the army, the government and ethnic groups. So the discussions will take a long time,” said Sui Khar, a leader of the Chin National Front whose armed wing has fought the government for nearly 30 years.

“But I believe it will happen, one step at a time.”

– Reuters