It was obvious to feel apprehensive about going to Amman especially after three of the city's hotels had just been hit by suicide bombers last Wednesday. I was supposed to fly to Amman on Friday to attend the News Agencies World Council meeting and was not sure if the gathering would proceed in the wake of the unprecendented bombings. A few phone calls to Amman finally made me decide to go on the trip after having been assured that the situation was not as bad as had been thought.
Indeed I found that the city going through its normal business although security at hotels were stepped up. The authorities had announced several arrests following the attacks which were blamed on the Al Qaeda in Iraq led by Abu Musab Al Zarqawi.
I had a pleasant surprise when during a tour to the Citadel, I overheard three women speaking in bahasa Malaysia. As it turned out, they were from Malaysia and working in Abu Dhabi as nurses. No, the bombings did not stop them from continuing with their visit programme to Jordan. The chanced meeting inspired me to file a report .
