National

In Securing Jakarta, Police Concentrate on Three Locations
Friday, 30 September, 2005 | 02:09 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The Jakarta Police have changed the security concentration towards places assumed to be used as protest sites by students and other members of the general public.

“Yesterday, we estimated that there were 14 points. However, there were some changes that we will only concentrate on three locations. These are the State Palace, the Vice Presidential Palace and the Hotel Indonesia Round,” said Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani in Jakarta on Thursday (29/09).

Previously, Gani said that there were 14 security locations that would be guarded by around 5,033 personnel, placed at various different locations.

A total of 1,186 personnel were to be placed at the State Palace, 270 at the Indonesian Christian University, 173 at Hotel Indonesia, 374 at the Parliamentary (DPR) complex, 263 at the National Islamic University in Ciputat, 120 at the Istiqlal mosque, 440 at Pertamina Plumpang in North Jakarta, 140 at the Vice Presidential Palace, 51 people at Vice President Jusuf Kalla’s residence, 48 at the Tugu Tani monument and 195 at Semanggi, with 565 as backup at the Jakarta Police headquarters and 1,010 personnel from the National Police Mobile Brigade regiment at Monas, DPR and at their units.

According to Gani, the personnel in nine of these locations will be relocated to the State Palace and the Hotel Indonesia roundabout.

“There will still be a total of 5,033 personnel,” he stated.

In addition, the regional police will carry out independent operations.

Each gas station shall be the responsibility of the respective police sector.

“Every gas station shall be guarded by two police personnel,” Gani stated.

He added that police in sectors and regions would also prepare the city security system to anticipate any protesters that might be carrying Molotov bombs.

“However, we have not yet had any information from intelligence officers,” stated Gani. (Evy Flamboyan-Tempo News Room)